Commissioner Hol
by dragonscales00
Summary: Alternate Universe. Shayera Hol is a captain in the Thanagarian Law Enforcement Force until the fateful day she was chasing down Byth Rok. Now she needs to adopt Earth as her home in order to survive and hopefully find a way home. Complications arise when she is soon seen as a hero by the people of Earth and eventually joins with a group to be called The Justice League.
1. In and Out of Space

Chapter 1

Shayera Hol flinched as the explosion blew her back against the wall. She tried to stand up but the ship rattled, knocking her down again. She moaned in pain as she felt the broken bones in her wings rattle against her back. She desperately tried to reach the control panel, but another explosion from the right wing of the ship threw her to the left side of the ship.  
It was supposed to be a simple patrolling mission. That's all it was. She was just supposed to take her ship and patrol the city, then return back to headquarters where she was going to quickly change out of her armor and go home in time for her brother's coming of age ceremony. With this celebration, he would be inducted to the Academy and be well on his way to become a captain or a general. Anything better than the officer position she currently had. She shouldn't complain though it was better than holding the private rank, but she was already tired of being overlooked by Chieftain Azure who seemed to favor the other Captains over her. Shayera honestly couldn't understand why she was overlooked. She did her best to be a good captain, she even helped capture and imprison several dangerous criminals-whether they were Thanagarians or visiting aliens.  
The ship rattled again and the glass on the windshield cracked under the strain. Shayera blearily looked at it before closing her eyes and waiting for the ship to finally either crash in wherever the destination was or explode in warp space. Her patrol around the city had turned into a high-speed chase into the stars.  
Byth Rok, the notorious pirate, had escaped military prison and hijacked a military ship stocked with several important artifacts. Shayera was the only one who was capable of chasing him down. Every other officer on hand was ready to retire for the night. She had managed to intercept him but at a fatal cost. She didn't know that he had already set up the hyperdrive and was ready to make the jump. She intercepted him just as he had pushed the button and the ship collided with hers. Shayera's ship managed to withstand the impact from Byth's ship and was still held together when Byth's ship exploded. Shayera watched as Byth's ship exploded, sending debris in every direction and a kinetic wave that rocked her ship. She was too busy trying to keep her ship from careening in warp space that she didn't see the broken wing of Byth's ship hit against the side of her ship.  
Shayera panicked when she lost control of her ship. She tried to regain control, but the ship was already pulled into the warp space meaning that any attempt to get out would be fruitless. Shayera had struggled for less than half a minute before the explosions began, with one catching her from behind and breaking her wings.  
Now here she was, huddled in a corner waiting for the end to come. She felt her mace bump against her leg and she looked at it with tired eyes. It was her father's mace and was given to her during her own coming of age ceremony. She was never seen without it after it was handed to her and she proudly used it, often at times preferring it over the other advanced weapons that was supplied to the law enforcement forces. Now as she looks at it, she could feel tears swell up as she thought of her family. She will never get to see her brother grow up, she will never get to attend the Wiendiga Festival with her mother, she will never get to have witty conversations with her father again. She was going to lose so much over her brash desire to end things quickly.  
The ship rattled again and Shayera could see outside the cracking windshield that she was exiting warp space. The ship rocked violently as it exited warp space and Shayera could see unfamiliar planets pass by her. She again attempted to stand on shaky legs and could see a blue planet in the midst. It had several large land masses but the majority of the planet seemed to be covered in water, very different from Thanagar.  
An explosion on the left wing sent the ship hurtling towards the planet and knocking Shayera off her feet again. She could feel the orbit of the planet pulling her in. One look outside the window and Shayera could see fire surrounding her ship. The sound of torn metal was heard and Shayera knew that if she didn't make at least an effort to escape from the ship, then she would be doomed to die in the ship and she would be damned if she at least didn't meet her end fighting.  
She crawled over to the side of the cabin and with her mace in hand she whacked against the wall. As the ship neared the waters, Shayera managed to break open a hole large enough for her to crawl through. As she crawled through, she tumbled into the air and with great strain she spread her wings to attempt to slow down her fall. She screamed out loud as pain shot through her shoulders and straight into her head. Black spots clouded her vision and she struggled to keep her wings open. Just when she thought she would hit the water, she felt herself skim over it. She wobbled a bit as she struggled to keep the pain at bay, but the black spots became bigger as her wings began to feel numb.  
Shayera felt herself dip towards the water and before she could even comprehend the danger, she was submerged in water. A new type of pain invaded her mind and Shayera began to struggle in the water. She quickly looked around the dark water and could see a glowing orb up above her. She swam to the surface and began to scream as her wounds began to burn. She quickly looked around to see her burning ship sinking below the waters and a nearby cliffside. She swam towards the cliffside, struggling as her burning wings weighed her down before they went numb, becoming deadweight. It didn't help that her armor was also a weighing factor but she didn't have the time to remove it as the waves jostled her around.  
When she reached the shores underneath the jutted cliff, she crawled until she was a good distance away from the low-tide. She rested up against the cliff and watched as the last remaining parts of her ship sank in the distance. It was dark and Shayera could see that this planet had a moon overhead. She tried to light up the electrical charge of her mace, but she decided that she should only take it out in emergency. No point letting any possible spies or scouts know what she's capable of. She looked at the stars and almost choked out a sob when she realized that she didn't recognize any constellations that were up above her. Where was she? Shayera looked at herself and aside from a few dents in her armor and her mace still attached to her hip, nothing seemed to be out of place.  
Shayera licked her lips, tasting the water. It was bitter and it held properties that seemed very similar to the sodium solutions Thanagarian doctors use to speed up the healing enzymes that Thanagarians hold. This explains why her wounds were burning, her wounds were being dried up but Shayera knew that she would have to find a stable medical solution before infection sets in. Shayera wondered if all of the water carried sodium in this planet. She had accidently drank some of the water swimming to shore and she was already feeling the effects of dehydration. Shayera felt the numbness fade away and could feel her wings again. They twitched when she moved her shoulders but the pain had thankfully dulled down to a slight throbbing, but that only meant that she needed to tend to her wounds quickly. Shayera shivered as a breeze blew past. It was cold and Shayera needed to find shelter before hypothermia sets in. Shayera spotted a steep incline going up the cliffside and gritted her teeth before making her way towards it.  
She grabbed the smooth stone edge and attempted to climb up. Pain shot through her again as she strained her muscles and pulled herself up over the edge. Shayera gave a small cry as she felt her wings brush up against the cliff walls. The incline had walls on both sides and she was beginning to feel claustrophobic. She walked up the incline, gripping the walls with her hands, often at times slipping and cutting open a new wound on her fingers. She couldn't retract her wings to fold against her body through her pain and instead gritted her teeth as they brushed up against the walls.

By the time Shayera reached the top of the cliff, she wanted death to be upon her. Her head felt as though it was going through a vice so she removed her mask in order to give her head some relief. It worked for a moment and she felt good enough to place the mask back on. She took in short gasps of air as her lungs felt as though they were collapsing in on themselves. She felt her legs give out from underneath again and she fell, smacking her head against the ground. Shayera closed her eyes and tried to gather more strength, but she was so tired. She lifted her head and saw that she was at the entrance of a thick forest. She crawled over to a tree trunk and laid down up against it, feeling her mace bump against her leg.  
Tears of frustration ran down her face as she looked up into the night sky. The moon illuminated the sky and ground. Shayera had no way to understand where she was or if she was the only inhabitant of this strange planet. She recalled seeing illuminating dots decorate the planet, but was it civilization or a new form of botany that glows? Shayera had no way to know unless she investigated. She got up from her position and gritted her teeth against the pain, not wanting to cry out in case she attracts any predators.  
Shayera forced herself to move deeper into the forest, her hands wrapped around her body to preserve heat and to hold her wings closer to her body. She walked all through the night, trying to find some form of civilization. She hoped that they spoke a language she is familiar with. The only languages that she could speak aside from Thanagarian was Tamaran and Jurgon, the universal language of her galaxy. She never bothered to learn more since she had it in her mind that she was never going to leave Thanagar.  
Shayera walked until she felt as though knives were poking at her feet. Her mace bumped against her leg with every step she took. She hoped she made it further into land and away from any potential predators. Shayera almost gave up until the ground she stepped on sounded differently. She looked down to realize that unlike the dirt ground, she was stepping on a black smooth surface with double yellow lines running down the middle.  
Shayera observed the black surface with interest. It seemed artificially made and not something naturally occurring. Shayera looked at both ends of the artificial ground and decided that going west would give her a better chance to find civilization.  
The sky was turning into a lighter shade of blue which Shayera took to mean that morning was coming. She wanted to rest and sleep for the day and stop the exhaustion and dehydration from overwhelming her, but Shayera was determined to make it home so she needed to know at least what type of alien-life she was dealing with. Her wings provided Shayera a small shield against the wind but it didn't stop Shayera from feeling the coldness that hung in the air.  
She was so tired… The black spots returned in her vision and Shayera attempted to keep them away by stopping and shaking her head a bit. She could feel her senses shutting down and Shayera realized that she needed to rest, whether she wants to or not. Shayera was so tired that she didn't move fast enough to even look over her shoulder to hear the roar of an incoming vehicle come from behind her. The last feeling she was aware of was an extreme pain on her back before unconsciousness finally overtook Shayera.

"What was that!?" Yelled out Tim Drake, as Bruce Wayne parked the Batmobile to the side. It was a long night of crime-fighting and the Batmobile suffered through intense damages from Bane as the masked villain tried to reach Tim in the vehicle. Throughout the beating, much of the tech on the Batmobile were destroyed. Tech such as the radar and night vision setting were glitching, causing the windshield to distort and impair vision. Bruce and Tim had quickly made quick work on Bane and after surveying the city decided to call it a night and quickly return to the Batcave to fix their broken vehicle for another night of crime fighting. The duo looked around the vehicle to spot a prone body lying beside the hidden road that led to the dead end; of course it really wasn't a dead end but the entrance to the Batcave.  
"Oh no! We killed somebody!" Cried of Tim as he rushed out of the vehicle and ignoring Bruce's order to wait. He ran quickly towards the body, hoping that perhaps through some miracle the person lived despite getting run over at eighty miles per hour. He stopped far enough to see the person-woman-still breathing. He breathed a sigh of relief as Bruce came up behind him, carrying a first aide kit.  
"She's ok." he said as he led the way towards the woman. Tim wondered though how anyone could survive any incoming projectile at eighty miles per hour: was she a Super? A Meta? He walked towards the woman determined to help when he felt Bruce's hand grasp his shoulder to stop him.  
"What are you doing? She needs our help!" Said Tim as he tried to fight off Bruce's hand.  
"Wait." ordered Bruce as he pushed Tim back a bit. He cautiously approached the unconscious woman before his widened when he saw the broken wings attached to the woman's back and the deadly mace attached to her hip.  
Bruce walked up to the side of the woman and knelt down, setting the first aide kit by his side. He looked over the woman to see that she was covered with fresh wounds, but not from his vehicle. Her armor, mask, and mace glinted in the morning sun, making her seem more lethal than calm. Bruce then saw fresh blood seeping from her wound and realized that she needed immediate medical attention. He bent down and picked her up bridal style, being mindful of her wounds and her broken wings.  
"Bruce? Is she an angel?" asked Tim as he saw for the first time the wings, the armor and mace. He watched as his mentor laid the woman across the backseat face down, being mindful of the wings.  
"I'm not sure who or what she is. She might even hold some answers though to the recent murders lately." Explained Bruce.  
"You mean the dismembered heartless ones?" Asked Tim. The increase of dead bodies with their hearts ripped out was steadily rising for the past three weeks and Gotham soon had a curfew placed in an attempt to stop the body count and catch the criminal responsible. Bruce was the one to notice that the murders coincided with a meteor crash that happened just outside of Gotham in the Midway National Park. Bruce had investigated the crash landing before scientists had arrived and spotted footsteps leading away from the crash. He made an attempt to follow but the tracks ended as though whoever crash landed simply disappeared without a trace. If whoever walked away from the meteor was the same as the woman in the backseat, then chances were that the escapee had wings as well.  
Tim jumped into the passenger seat while Bruce hopped in the drivers seat. After checking on the woman and making sure that she was secured and comfortable, Batman and Robin made their way to the Batcave.

Shayera groaned in pain as she attempted to sit up from her face down position. She was aware that she was in a vehicle of some sort, but she couldn't see who was piloting it. She was only aware of quiet whispers and the sight of black leather. She wondered if she had been abducted and attempted to sit up in alarm once the thought settled in.  
The pain she felt previously was still there from when whatever had hit her in the back. She whimpered and tried again only to feel her wings twitch involuntarily in protest. Shayera struggled for a while until she heard someone hushing her and stroking her hair from behind. Shayera couldn't see who it was, but the effect was working: she felt comforted and safe by the hesitant small hands. She tried to keep her eyes open but her fatigue won out in the end and she closed her eyes to resume her sleep. The last thing she was aware of was the gentle voice hushing her and the hands stroking her hair.  
Tim had first heard the woman wake up when he heard shuffling in the backseat and alerted Bruce. "Try to get her back to sleep," whispered Bruce, "I can't have her awake while I work on her wounds. They look like they might be infected and it might scare her if she was awake through the process of disinfecting them."  
Tim had no idea how to get the woman to sleep, so he did the only thing he could think of. He reached out his hand and began to stroke the woman's hair. Tim surprised himself when he began to hush to her in an attempt to soothe her, much like how Barbara does whenever she slept over at the Wayne Mansion and he had his nightmares.  
To his surprise the woman was calming down and before he knew it, she was back asleep.  
"You might want to thank Barbara the next time she's over." Said Bruce. Tim looked over at Bruce to see him smirking at him and blushed. He looked over at the sleeping woman is me last time before facing forward. It only took about five more minutes until they reached the entrance to the Batcave.  
Bruce pressed a button on the control panel and the dead end of the road opened up to reveal a cave tunnel. They sped on inside and parked in the middle of one of the world's most secretive places. With gadgets and advanced computers decorating the walls, the Batcave is a state of the art detective office.  
Bruce and Tim both jumped out of the Batmobile and proceeded to set up the medical table. Bruce went back to the car and gently lifted the woman up, being careful of her wings. He set her down on the medical table face down and immediately hooked her up to the machines in order to keep her sedated and keep track of her vitals. He removed her mace and bulking armor, leaving her dressed in her tracksuit and her mask.  
Tim meanwhile gently removed the woman's mask and backed away to let Bruce clean out the woman's wounds from the back of her head. Tim could now see that the woman was beautiful and wondered who she was. Was she the one causing the heartless murders? There really was no way to know until she woke up. Once Bruce had managed to bandage her head wounds, he began to work on her wings while Tim walked around holding clean bandages. Bruce gently turned the woman over and folded her wings carefully, bandaging them to ensure that they won't pop open and reopen any wounds. After a full four hours of helping the woman, Bruce and Tim were exhausted but satisfied to know that she was well on her way to getting healed.

Bruce had earlier on asked his oldest friend, Alfred, if he would keep an eye on the woman while he and Tim rested and in came the loyal friend carrying hot soup and water in his hands.

"Alfred, she's asleep." said Bruce as he eyed the hot soup and water bottle in Alfred's hands.

"When she awakens sir, she will be needing nourishment. I have heard in the news that an unidentified craft was spotted in the bottom of the coast off of Miller Harbor." informed Alfred as he set the soup and water down beside on the table and sat down in the armchair before proceeding to read the paper.

"I'll investigate right now. Tim, stay with Alfred and keep an eye on her. If anything changes I want you to contact me immediately." said Bruce. Tim gave him a one-handed salute before plopping down in the computer chair and proceeded to knock out. Bruce just shook his head and left, wanting to investigate the site and perhaps visiting Commissioner Gordon.

 **Hey readers, hopefully you liked the first chapter. Reviews and suggestions are taken with open arms, thank you :)**


	2. Culture Shock

Chapter 2

Shayera felt as though she was weighed down by cotton and attempted to sit up, only to give a small groan when her entire body lit up with pain. She laid back down quickly and opened her eyes and just as quickly closed them when light hit her eyes, blinding Shayera. She gave a growl of frustration and decided to gather her bearings. The last conscious thought she had before passing out was wondering what the strange noise was, the pain, and the gentle hands and voice that lulled her to sleep. Shayera theorized that perhaps a predator who took advantage of her weakened state had ambushed her, but then why offer her comfort and not eat her? She flexed her fingers and toes before trying to flex her wings, trying being the operative word. Shayera opened her eyes and bit back the groan that she felt raising within her. Her sensitive vision took a very long time to get used to the light, but when it did Shayera looked around her environment.

Judging from the walls, she was in a cave made to look like a crime-scene lab. The equipment was primitive at best but Shayera wouldn't doubt its usefulness. She looked down at herself to see that she was laying down on a table and judging by the tools and cloth wraps next to her it was a medical table. Shayera carefully sat up, wincing at the dulled pain in her wings, and looked moved so she was sitting comfortably on the table. Shayera took her time to carefully inspect herself before doing anything strenuous. Whoever helped her was generous enough to bandage all her wounds and even fold her wings carefully so as not to disturb the strange hard-like bandage that set her wing's tendons and humerus.

Shayera carefully stretched her legs down to stand up and after a few minutes of dizziness Shayera was able to walk around.

This cave was truly something to marvel about. Despite the primitive technology that adorned the walls, Shayera was amazed at how much effort was put into this cave in order to mimic a training room, a lab room, and a monitoring room in one. Shayera recognized several ancient instruments used in archeological digs in Thanagar: such as the powders and brushes Shayera sees. A quick sniff on some of the canisters near the powders and Shayera could smell bicarbonate, chlorate, and lactose: a smokescreens. Shayera investigated more around the cave and found several projectiles in the shape of some creature, mines, an EMP, and an assortment of clever equipments used to either incapacitate or make a quick getaway. The only question remaining in Shayera's head was whether or not the alien was friend or foe.

Just as Shayera had that thought, she heard footsteps echoing from the distance and quickly hid behind a chair close to monitors. Shayera took note that she was across from a set of stairs so in case of any sign of hostility, she might have a way out. She peeked around the corner of the chair in order to size up any potential threats but shock spread through her when four aliens entered the cave. Shayera was shocked to discover that, aside from lack of wings, they looked just like her.

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20 minutes earlier

Tim woke up from the chair to blearily see Alfred still reading the paper and sipping a cup of tea. He jolted up from his sleep stupor when the event so the early morning came back to him. He looked around the room to see if the woman was still asleep and to his relief she was. He wanted to be the first to greet her when she woke up so he quickly got up from his uncomfortable position on the computer chair and made his way towards Alfred.

"Has she moved at all?" asked Tim.

"Not at all Master Tim. She has been sleeping quite peacefully compared to your fitful sleep-state." said Alfred, not glancing up from his readings.

"Do you think she would want something when she wakes up?" asked Tim, sitting down next to Alfred.

"I can't imagine what. She might probably wants her armor, mask, and mace back. Other than that I wouldn't know exactly what she would want." said Alfred, sipping his tea.

Tim couldn't think of what she would want either until a morbid thought passed his head.

"Do you think she might have been the one to cause the murders?" asked Tim, suddenly feeling wary of the sleeping body close by them.

"I wouldn't think so. Based on the appearance of the ship on Miller's Harbor, I would think she had one interesting landing on Earth last night." said Alfred, getting up from his chair and walking over to the sleeping alien. He studied the woman in order to find anything on her bandages and once he was sure that she was alright, he motioned to Tim to follow him.

"Come Master Tim, I believe our guest will be quite ravenous once she wakes up and I fear that the soup has gone terribly cold." said Alfred.

As they both left the Batcave, Tim looked back one last time to ensure that the woman was still asleep before climbing up the stairs and closing the entrance behind him. Tim followed Alfred to the kitchen where he began to heat up the soup and water, intent on having another cup of tea.

"Do you think we should tell Dick and Barbara, Alfred?" asked Tim, wondering if perhaps he should inform his bond-brother and sister.

"Inform us of what?" said a voice. Tim turned in surprise to see Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson leaning against the doorframes.

"BARBARA! DICK!" yelled Tim in happiness. He ran towards them and gave Barbara a hug and Dick a high five.

"Nice to see you too, kiddo. So tell us, what does Bruce have hiding in the cave?" asked Barbara, accepting the cup of tea from Alfred.

"Master Tim, perhaps it would be better to show them. The soup is nice and heated and I'm sure our guest will awaken at any moment." said Alfred as he led the way.

"WAIT! I wanna go first!" said Tim as he charged ahead of Alfred. Barbara and Dick exchanged amused glances before following Alfred and Tim to the cave.

"So what did Bruce find this time?" asked Dick, as Tim pulled on the statue that triggered the secret entrance.

"Just wait! She's really pretty!" said Tim as he led the inside. Dick raised an eyebrow at the word she and looked at Barbara, now looking very curious at the possibility. There was no way Bruce would allow Selina in the cave again without his supervision. Batman would never let Talia al Ghul enter Gotham without his knowledge or any other member of the League of Shadows. Who was in the cave?

"Where's Bruce?" asked Dick.

"Master Bruce is out investigating the ship wreckage that washed up on Miller's Harbor." informed Alfred.

"What? Really? I told you we should have gone through Gotham first Dick." said Barbara.

"So I take it then the mission in Bludhaven was a success?" asked Alfred.

"Yeah, we managed to stop this Dark Arrow from implanting one his devices underneath the city. Whatever it was seemed to be a prototype, though. Barbara and I are still running tests." said Dick as they walked down the stairs.

"SHE'S GONE! ALFRED SHE'S NOT HERE!" cried out Tim. The three adults followed Tim down to the cave. Tim pointed at the empty medical bed while Alfred calmly walked to it.

"Who are we looking for exactly?" asked Dick as the spread out across the cave.

"I believe she is who we are looking for." said Barbara, pointing at the hidden figure behind the chair. Dick turned to look at the woman and watched as she rose from her crouched position. His eyes widened when he saw the bandaged wings protruding from her back, the bandaged wounds on her body and the piercing green eyes that warily watched them.

"Oh… wow." was all Dick could manage to say. The winged woman studied each of them with unwavering eyes, only flinching when Tim suddenly stepped forward.

"Hey! We're friends! We're not here to hurt you!" he said.

"Tim," whispered Dick, "Back off."

Tim ignored Dick and continued to address the woman, "I'm sorry you got hurt! Our car had a malfunctioning system that didn't warn us!"

Barbara and Dick had no idea what to do as Tim continued to walk towards the woman, hands raised in the air as though to show her that he means no harm. To their luck, the woman didn't seem threatened by Tim's advancement and instead cautiously sat down on the computer chair, studying Tim. She seemed to be intrigued by his face… by all their faces actually. Dick thought she looked confused until she reached up to touch her face and suddenly she was panicking.

"******)**)*****!" she cried out.

"Do you understand her?" asked Barbara. Dick and Alfred shook their heads, unfamiliar with the alien language, but Tim somehow seemed to understand her panic.

"Your stuff? We have it stored away so it doesn't get dusty, wait here!" said Tim, gesturing for her to remain where she was.

To the surprise of Dick and Barbara the woman remained seated, but kept her eyes on Tim who ran towards a chest. He struggled for a second before yelling, "HEY DICK! A little help?"

Dick just shook his head and went on to help Tim push the chest towards the woman. She looked confused when Tim gestured to her to open the chest, but when she did Dick notices the look of relief and calm that spread throughout her face.

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Shayera had never felt a rush of emotions pass through her entire body until today. When she first caught a glimpse of the aliens, she was curious. What are they capable of if they have no wings? They walk around with no armor or mask, what is this culture? When Shayera was spotted, she knew that she needed to try and make contact so she got up from her crouched position and made herself more visible. She could see that her appearance made their eyes slightly wide: whether it was from her wings or bandages she has yet to determine. Shayera watched as the younger boy approached her, attempting to communicate with her.

"***! ****)*****)****)***)****)**)****)***!" said the young boy. Shayera could hear the older boy whisper something to him but Shayera had to admit that this young boy had a lot of nerve. She glanced at his face and the others' faces trying to understand them. Where are their masks? Were they perhaps family? That would be the only logical conclusion she can come up with. With that thought though Shayera brought a hand up to her face, only for horror to spread as she realized that her own mask was off. She had no armor, no mask, no mace! She was exposed to a group of strangers that were not family!

"WHERE'S MY ARMOR!" she cried out, forgetting that there was a language barrier between her and the aliens. The three older aliens seemed confused by her exclamation, but the younger boy surprised her again when he spoke to her. He gestured for her to stay sitting down and she watched as he ran across the room. He ran across the room and began to push a chest towards her, he motioned for the older boy to help and once the chest was in front of her she opened it.

She was very relieved to find her armor, her mask and mace laid in the chest. She reached a hand in lifted her mask. She looked at it with a sense of forlorn, her family's faces flashing before her eyes.

"*****)*****?" Shayera heard the boy speak. She realized that she was displaying open emotion in front of a group of strangers and immediately reached in for her mask. She winced when she remembered the bandages on her body. She looked down at the one wrapped around her arm and began to unravel it. To her immediate surprise the elder was the one to walk up to her and pointed at her bandages while shaking his head, a sign to tell her not to remove them. Shayera tried to comprehend why she couldn't remove her bandages. She could already feel that her wounds were closed and that the bones in her wings were set, a little tender perhaps but she decided to ignore the elder in order to show him that she was fine.

She reached into the chest, ignoring the pain on her wings as she bent down to bring up her arm brace armor. This specific arm brace is law enforcement issued armor, meaning that the military doesn't have it yet. Shayera was quite proud that to be one of the first to use such an arm brace. It was on the outer surface of the brace with retractable talons on the carpal area of the brace. All Shayera had to do was flex her arm a bit to trigger the release and flex again for it to retract. She put the arm brace on and retracted the talons. The four aliens immediately shifted into a defensive position but Shayera quickly raised her hand up to show that she meant no harm. When they relaxed slightly, Shayera quickly began to slice through the bandages on her hand and once it was off, Shayera raised her healed hand to the elder in order to show him her healed cuts. The elder took the offered hand and she smiled at his raised eyebrows when he turned her hand over to see the healed injuries.

"***)***)*********)***)**)****)*****)*****?" asked the female of the group. Shayera just stared at him blankly, not understanding the girl. The girl blushed when she remembered the language barrier and instead approached her, hands raised and pointing to Shayera's other bandages. Shayera raised an eyebrow but raised her bandaged arm to the girl and realized the peace gesture when the girl began to help her remove her bandages. Once all the bandages were removed, Shayera stood across from them in her normally proud and confident stature.

"******? **)***)*****)***)*****)****)**)****)***)************?" said the young boy to the elder. Shayera had no time to decipher what was being said when a red alert sound signalled throughout the cave.

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"That's Bruce!" yelled Barbara. She ran towards the computers and immediately began to search for him.

Dick and Tim followed behind her and watched the screens to find Bruce's signal in Miller's Harbor.

"Do you think he's in trouble?" asked Tim, running towards his displayed costume away from the computer room.

"For him to signal his distress signal? Yes." said Dick as he quickly changed into his Nightwing costume. Dick and Tim ran back to the computer room where Barbara was already in full Batgirl suit and to their shock, the woman was dressed in her armor and mask with the mace attached to her hip.

"She's coming?" asked Dick as he and Barbara mounted on Dick's motorbike.

"How else am I getting there?" asked Tim, joking when he said it but then reconsidered it when he realized that he had no way to get to Bruce. He turned towards the woman and tried not to feel intimidated by her dangerous appearance. The gold, black, and red armor made her appear lethal while the white lenses of her mask made her appear daunting. Even her wings were armored which added her lethal appearance to another level.

"Please? Can I come with you?" asked Tim, gesturing while he was speaking. He first pointed at himself and then at her, before making a flying gesture with his arms. The woman looked at him and Tim worried that perhaps he might have insulted her with his flying gesture until the woman crouched down and lowered her wings a bit, pointing to her back which Tim took to mean as "hop on".

He ran towards her back and lifted himself by grabbing onto to the humerus part of the wings and by wrapping his arms around her neck. The woman then stood up and Tim could hear Dick mutter, "daredevil" before zooming away with Barbara. The woman began to make a run before launching herself in the air and spreading her wings. Tim has been on many exhilarating rides before in the Batmobile, the Batwing and even on Dick's motorbike, but nothing compared to the feeling he was experiencing when the woman began to fly at impossible speeds and caught up to Dick and Barbara.

Tim laughed when they saw him up above them and watched as they left the cave and straight up into the night sky. He held on tight for dear life as they began to rise up above the clouds before the woman suddenly did a freefall. Tim wrapped his legs around the woman's torso and watched as the ground below them appeared to be advancing towards them. Tim almost screamed in terror until the woman spread her wings full span and they were gliding over the tree tops at full speed. Tim was confused when the woman slowed down a little until he saw Dick and Barbara zoomed by below them. He realized that the woman was letting them take lead when she began to follow them from up high.

Tim took the time to see Gotham from an aerial perspective and despite the gothic and scary outer look that Gotham is infamous for, he will admit that nothing beats seeing the city lights illuminate the city. The woman kept close to the skylights of the buildings, avoiding lit windows and often at times soaring high above the city to avoid detection. Tim had no doubt that this woman had supervision since she always kept track of Dick and Barbara.

Tim?

Barbara? How close are we?

Close, my dad is on the scene with the whole police force and SWAT division.

What's going on?

Bruce is fighting the heart-eater, but… reports are talking about a four-winged individual.

Tim looked below to see Miller's Harbor approaching. He could make out a black-silhouetted figure fighting against a large four-winged individual. It was when the woman gave a small gasp that Tim figured that perhaps the woman did know who the individual was.

Dick and Barbara zoomed over the police line and made their way towards Bruce fighting as Batman against the monster-looking figure. The woman stopped flying and hovered in midair so Tim quickly tapped her shoulder and pointed towards a rooftop close to the fight. When she landed, Tim jumped off and began to climb down towards the fight, intent on helping his adopted father and brother.

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Shayera couldn't believe Byth was still alive and fighting. Last time she saw him, he was in a burning ship in warp space. Despite his grotesque new features, Shayera knew it was Byth by the Thanagarian prison tattoos on his biceps. It seemed a bit old school but Byth was a repeated offender and it got to the point that his many prison breaks required the law to hold him for life: thus the tattoos are a sign of his life sentence. Shayera had been surprised at first at how efficient the three youths moved when the red alarm had blared. The youth had quickly put on their own form of armor and masks before moving into action.

Shayera was confused at first when the two boys left the area but once she spotted the girl dressing up for what looked like combat, Shayera decided to lend a helping hand. She quickly donned her armor and mask and waited with the girl until the two boys returned. She could tell that her armor and mask intimidated them (the younger boy especially) but they quickly got over it. The older boy and the girl jumped on a bi-wheeled vehicle, something Shayera has never seen before. She was interrupted from her thoughts though when the young boy had gestured to Shayera if he could climb on her back. His gesture to fly was rather humorous though but she refrained from laughing to keep things professional. She saw his fallen look and thought perhaps she should have laughed to lighten his spirit before battle, but instead she crouched down and gestured for him to hop on her back.

When she felt him tighten his arms around her neck, Shayera began to run and stretched her wings. It has been more than forty hours since Shayera had actually flown with her own wings so wherever they were headed was a good opportunity to actually fly. Shayera launched herself into the air and began the fly after the older youths. She could feel the younger boy slightly tighten his hold on her and she smiled a little, feeling exhilarated when she felt the wind beneath her wings and the lightweight feeling she gets that can get joy come from flying.

Once outside, Shayera couldn't help but fly high up into the air and get a feeling of the air this planet has to offer. She was feeling so much freedom and excitement after her brief struggle against death earlier that it made her forget her current passenger on her back. She began to free fall and was enjoying the wind rushing past her face when she felt arms tighten around her neck in fear along with a pair of legs around her torso. She felt guilty when she could hear the young boy take in short breaths of fear. She spread her wings and glided over the treetops and stopped. She realized that she had flown ahead of older boy and girl and flew slowly to allow them to catch up. Once they did though, Shayera flew above them slowly, trying not to lose sight of them. It was when they reached the city limits that Shayera was soon experiencing culture shock.

This city was gigantic. Unlike the treetop cities of Thanagar, whatever species this is made phenomenal structures from the ground up. Strange statues decorated every edge of a building. Shayera couldn't help but notice how some of the more grotesque statues had wings. Did this planet view wings as evil? Was it a stroke of luck that she was found by friendly inhabitants in this whole planet? Shayera had no time to ponder though as the two riders rode around the line of metal boxes on the ground below. Shayera decided that discretion was the best option and flew up above the buildings, not wanting to draw any attention to herself.

When they arrived at the docks, the young boy had patted on her shoulder to land on top of a roof. When she did, she watched with amazement at his grace and agility as he jumped down to help fight alongside the two older youths and a man donning his own mask in black.

Shayera watched as they fought effortlessly side by side in taking down Byth and she had to give these aliens some credit: they knew how to fight. Shayera watched Byth carefully and noticed several grotesque new features of his: from his scaly arms and torso, his squashed in face, and his four wings not being able to flap in synchronization. Shayera flew around the fight and positioned herself behind a large container. It was when the young boy cried out that Shayera leapt into action.

Hello readers, thank you for reviewing, favoriting, and following the story. I worked extra hard to get this chapter finished while working so thanks again :)


	3. Barriers Down

Shayera had no plan whatsoever when she began to fly towards Byth. The only clear thought she had was to protect the young boy. Despite not being able to understand him the young boy reminded her a lot of her little brother, Hektar. Perhaps these aliens might be able to help her get home, but first she must deal with Byth, permanently.  
With a war cry, Shayera charged up her mace and slammed it into the side of Byth, knocking him aside before he would even dare lay a hand on the boy. Now that she was closer to Byth, Shayera could several anomalies attached to Byth. Aside from his new grotesque appearance, Byth had several interesting equipments attached to his body. One contraption seemed to be sown into his chest and Shayera could see that it was not working properly. Another contraption stood, one that she recognized: the Absorbascon. Shayera had read several articles about the newly upgraded Absorbascon, a technological achievement on its own during its time. The newly upgraded information storage system can now download information from other computers without needing an outside source to do it. The scientists have developed this upgraded system to be able to be worn under a helmet, but on Byth it looked as though he was wearing a skeletal frame around his head.  
Speaking of Byth, he was running at her with incredible speed and she only had time to swing her mace straight at his head. Byth was knocked down, but during Shayera's slight distraction from her swing he swiped his clawed hand at her leg, piercing through the armor. Shayera cried out in pain as Byth gripped her leg and began to slam her against the ground before lifting her up and slamming her down again. He repeated this twice before whirling around and throwing her against the wall.  
Shayera huffed to catch her breath but quickly stood up, ignoring the blood running down her leg. She needed to stop this quickly before he gained the upper hand and overpowered her. Shayera flew up high to avoid his incoming charge and quickly turned midair to slam her electrified mace straight down on his head.  
She jumped out of the way quickly when he reached out to grab her leg again. Shayera could see the other fighters running towards them and she quickly dive bombed for another hit. Byth swung his arm around though at the sight of her and slammed slammed against her abdomen, knocking the air right out of her. Shayera was kneeling on the ground gripping her stomach in order to stop the reflex that was repeatedly trying to exhale air that was no longer in her lungs. She tried to recover quickly but her vision was slowly blacking out, proving that perhaps she hadn't healed after all. She was too distracted by her near unconsciousness that she didn't see Byth bring his clawed hand up, intending to fully pierce through her mask and into her skull.

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Tim and Dick had tried unsuccessfully to come around the monster from behind. They were shoved to the side by his wings that flapped around sporadically. Dick landed gracefully on his feet but Tim ended up rolling around until he hit the side of the wall. He grumbled a little before getting back into action. One day he'll be able to move around like Dick, for now he was doing his best not to get his heart ripped out by the beast. Tim threw a couple of flash bombs in the direction of the beast. It did nothing to it as it it swung its arm around and knocked Bruce and Barbara to the side and into some crates. Dick had no chance whatsoever to dodge the unexpected headbutt and then it was just Tim. He looked around hoping for a way to get away but as the beast jumped he took out his bo staff and twirled it around to look menacing. The beast landed in front of Tim and with only a flimsy swipe of his hand the bo staff was knocked out of Tim's hand. Tim backed away slowly as the monster slowly crept up to him and thought to himself that this might be the end for him. Just as the monster lifted its hand to swipe at Tim, Tim heard a war cry coming from the sky and the monster was suddenly knocked to the side. Tim looked up in awe as the winged woman carried the electric-charged mace in hand and was in a defensive position in front of Tim.

The woman looked like a warrior from ancient times as her wings flared a little but folded back quickly, possibly to give the woman more maneuverability over the beast. Despite not being able to see her full face, Tim could almost see the intimidating glare she was aiming at the beast. When the creature began to charge towards her, the woman leapt into action at unbelievable speed. She swung her mace again and caught the top of his head, bringing him down. Tim didn't anticipate the beast to grab her leg and pierce through the armor, making her give a short cry of pain. He began to beat the woman around as though she were a rag doll but she was taking the beating as though it was nothing to her. She only took about a second to catch her breath before she was back in action, her wings often proving to be her saving grace when she needed a quick dodge.

"ROBIN!" he heard Barbara cry from behind him. He looked back to see Bruce and Barbara tending to an injured Dick, who was bleeding from his head wound. He rushed over and asked, "Is he ok?"

Barbara had taken bandages out of her belt while Bruce responded, "He'll be alright. His hard head is what saved him in the first place."

"Really Br-Batman? This is no time to joke." admonished Barbara when Tim smiled at his joke. A cry from the distance caught his attention and he was horrified to see the woman kneeling on the floor attempting to her breath. The beast had his hand raised similar to the kill strike he was about to do on Tim and just as fast, Bruce leapt into action.

Bruce threw a couple of Batarangs at the monster and it backed off, shielding itself with its arms trying to block the explosions from hitting its face. Bruce then delivered a swift upper kick underneath the jaws and a jab to the exposed skin on its leg in order to paralyze it. He didn't quite paralyzed the monster, but he did daze it for a while. Long enough for him to run towards the woman and help her sit back against the wall and control her breathing.

"How are you feeling?" asked Bruce, as the woman regained control and stood up. She didn't answer but she only looked at him.

"She doesn't understand us Batman. Robin's been using his own sign language to communicate with her." explained Barbara as she and Tim helped Dick sit down against the wall. A screech distracted them from their conversations as the monster rose from his dazed position on the ground. Bruce and his partners got into the defensive position while the woman charged her mace up, but to their surprise the monster began to speak.

"Pathetic. All of you." he said, wiping away the blood trickling down his face.

"Oh yeah? Who was the one knocked down to the ground?" challenged Tim, ignoring the glare he was getting from Batman.

"I underestimated you, honestly. It won't happen again. Your tactics and techniques are positively droll. The only real interesting outlier brought in this fight is the cop." sneered the monster.

"Cop?" asked Barbara. She looked around to see if anybody from the Gotham City Police Department had tried to attempt to help them fight the beast.

"Hello, small weakling? I'm talking about the ever famous Captain Shayera Hol standing next to you. Gave me quite the scare when she attempted to stop the hyper-space jump I was making after my escape," said the monster as he stalked over a few feet in front of them, eyes never leaving the woman's face and said, "***)****)****)****)********)*******?"

"*****)****)***)**)****)****!" snarled the woman, surprising Barbara and Tim at her ferocity. Barbara could see her fist flexing around the handle of the mace, as though she really wanted to start hitting him with it.

"Hmm, typical cop. Oh where are my manners? My name is Byth Rok, the greatest Thanagarian pirate to ever live!" said Byth as he gave a mock bow.

"You could be Davy Jones for all I care, but right now you're going down!" said Tim. Byth gave small laugh and charged at them. Everyone met his charge and a battle has begun, one that could be heard and felt from all over Gotham as shakes from Shayera's mace and Byth's strength vibrated through the city.

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Shayera had been surprised when Byth began to speak in the alien's language, but the surprise left when she recalled the Absorbascon that he was still wearing. She swung her mace at his head, attempting to knock it off but he quickly blocked her blow and met her with his own. She was knocked up into the air but she quickly righted herself with her wings and flew around, attempting to find his blind spot. It was when she saw the young boy make a foolish attempt at sneak attack that Shayera dove straight down with a charged mace and began her descent to rescue the boy again.

She flew straight down in a vertical line and hit Byth on his right shoulder, when he had turned to catch the boy in midair. Her mace went right through his shoulder and severed his arm off. He gave a roar in pain and attempted to catch Shayera with his left arm but she took another swing with her mace and severed it off too. He roared in agony and tried to charge at her with his body, but she punched him in the face and knocked him down where he gave a chilling snarl. He rose again only to meet the mace face to face.

Shayera had no control over her emotions as she began to beat him repeatedly with her mace. She grabbed the Absorbascon and threw it over her shoulder as she began to beat him. When he stopped moving Shayera flew off of him and watched as he took in ragged breaths and low moans escaped his body.

She turned around to see the youths and the man looking at her with apprehension. She looked away to the Absorbascon and walked to it, finally intending to learn about these aliens who were clearly warriors.

Shayera walked over to the Absorbascon and took her mask off. She could hear the young boy calling something out but she had no idea what it was. She grabbed the Absorbascon and placed it on her head. It was when she felt the stings go straight through her head that Shayera realized that perhaps she should have waited until she was somewhere secure. Her vision immediately blacked out and the last thought she had was of the new information that was being 'downloaded' into her brain: humans.

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Tim had no idea what to do when he watched the woman-no, Shayera fall as soon as she placed the weird wire-headset on her head. He ran towards her body and watched in amazement as the headset began to glow in rhythm.

"What's going on?" he asked as he looked behind to see Bruce walking up to him.

"It looks as though she is responding the headset. As though they are both communicating." theorized Bruce as he watched the woman give small flinches and flexes in response to every pulse the headset was giving.

"It's not hurting her?" asked Tim.

"No, if Byth could handle it then so can she. She's probably trying to control it." reasoned Bruce, not wanting to scare Tim. After calling in the jet, Barbara and Tim helped carry the unconscious Dick and Shayera into the jet and fly away while Bruce handled things with the police.

"This is going to be some trial, I'll tell ya." said Commissioner Gordon as he watched the boys place the large monster in lock and key in the armored van.

"A trial should be the least of your worries." said Batman as he and Gordon walked away from the scene.

"What do you mean?" asked Gordon.

"That man you have locked up? Not of this world." explained Batman.

"Not-what do you mean? We have an alien locked up in our custody?" asked Gordon, not believing that of all things to happen it had to be extraterrestrial.

"I wouldn't worry. His missing limbs should cripple him should he attempt anything. Although I doubt he'll be able to function properly while in Arkham." said Batman as they made their way towards the jet.

"Yeah, about those missing limbs, trying on a new tactic?" asked Gordon.

"No, just received a little help from an outside source who went a little spastic. Stopped in time though for me to analyze the machines on the heart eater's body." said Batman.

"What do you mean?" asked Gordon, feeling like a record player.

"I had time to study the machine attached to his chest and our resident heart eater turns out needed to replace his every single time. It looks as though it was a failed invention to do what? I don't know. All I could study on time was that it meant to boost heart function but instead causes heart implosion." explained Bruce.

"So what? We feed him a heart everytime it explodes?" asked Gordon, wondering if the Batman had finally snapped.

"No, don't do anything that might empower him. I think he'll be fine in the long run, but how long is the question that still needs to be answered. He has about twenty hearts stored in that machine." said Batman as he jumped into the hidden Batmobile and flew away.

It was a while until he reached the batcave and during that time he began to reflect on his turbulent day. After finding the woman, Shayera, out in the woods he didn't expect to have to deal with incoming aliens bent on having people's hearts. Bruce had only time to analyse on the supposed corpse when it came alive and began to attack him in Millers Harbor. The wrecked ship found on the coast might have belonged to Byth or Shayera but Bruce can only speculate when Byth had detonated it to go off, intending to kill the commercial fishermen that were out and about. Bruce only had time to give a quick warning to the fishermen who sailed away in time to avoid the underwater explosion. When Byth began to fight against Bruce, Bruce called in the red alert to get back up.

When the police arrived Tim, Dick, and Barbara had arrived and they began to fight against Byth. It was when the woman swooped down to help that Bruce was finally able to see what type of aliens they were dealing with. Since they weren't metahumans Bruce had no idea how Arkham might be able to hold a creature such as Byth until he saw that he was not invulnerable against the electricity from the mace. He needed to develop some schematics to build a cell for Byth for the engineers at Arkham, for now though he needed more answers to his questions. For that, he needed the woman to wake up.

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Shayera groaned as she woke up from her forced unconsciousness. So much information had been 'downloaded' into her head that Shayera was honestly amazed at the different languages, cultures, traditions, species, and even practices that made up Earth. Shayera now had a name for everything that she wasn't sure about. One of the things Shayera had discovered while she was processing the information was that this new Absorbascon can actually take information from nearby computers and implant them in her head. Shayera now knew everything there was to know about Bruce Wayne and his sidekicks Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon, and Dick Grayson or better known to the public as Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing. She had also received information about the many heroes that populate the Earth from the known such as this Superman to the not so very known such as the Vibe.

She slowly stood up from her medical bed to see that she was alone in a spacious room. Her mask was put on the bedside table of her bed and she still wore her armor. She sat up and removed the Absorbascon from her head. She stretched a little from the strain she had to pull in fighting Byth and the weakness that was entering her body. She hasn't eaten in more than three sleep cycles, skipping her midday lunch on Thanagar so she could have room to eat during her brother's ceremony and not having anything to eat during her unconscious time on Earth. The battle with Byth had drained every energy she had so she was on the hunt for food as she walked out the room. Shayera took a deep sniff of the air to smell a delicious aroma. She followed the scent to the downstairs of the mansion where she heard voices. She flew down the stairs and cautiously walked towards the door. Despite understanding Earth customs, Shayera felt a little nervous about meeting these strangers with a new understanding of their language and culture but she plucked up her courage and knocked on the door before opening it.

The talking had stop and Shayera was now the center of attention of five pairs of eyes. She gave a small wave and a weak smile, suddenly nervous and afraid that perhaps she had broken a custom or a culture rule with these people. She quickly shifted through the new information but had found no rule or custom to be broken. The young boy, Tim, stood up from his seat and walked up to her. She looked at him in anticipation, wanting him to make the first move.

"Hey Bruce, do you think maybe you should try communicating with her? If Tim can do it, then maybe you can try to communicate what her business is on Earth." asked the girl, Barbara, to the man.

"My business on Earth was to capture Byth and take him back to prison on Thanagar." responded Shayera, surprising herself and the others at her fluent english.

"You can talk now?" asked Tim.

"I have always been able to talk. I wasn't however capable of speaking your languages." said Shayera.

"Languages? You can speak more than one you mean?" asked the older boy, Dick.

"Yes… can you not speak more than one of your planet's languages?" asked Shayera, wondering if perhaps she had overdone it by learning all of the planet's languages.

"Well… sort of. I'm kinda good at French and Japanese." explained Barbara.

"Bruce here can speak more than ten languages!" said Tim, feeling a little left out of the conversation and wanting to participate.

"You are Shayera Hol, Captain of the Thanagarian forces" asked the man, Bruce. Feeling a bit out of the loop Shayera decided to respond in kind, "You are Bruce Wayne: last heir to the Wayne fortune, playboy philanthropist, current CEO of Wayne Industries, and the Batman."

The youths seemed to look surprised at her knowledge but Bruce and the elder, Alfred Pennyworth, were nonchalant about it.

"You seem to have gathered information in your unconscious state. How?" asked Bruce. Shayera could see that perhaps she had touched a nerve somewhere.

"The Absorbascon." said Shayera.

"The Abso-what?" asked Tim.

"The Absorbascon. The… living brain I guess you can say. It gathers nearby information and uploads it into my brain." said Shayera.

"Nearby? So all the computers that is within this vicinity, you were able to hack into it without our knowledge?" asked Bruce.  
"Correct," said Shayera, "Your computers are down in the cave are possibly quite the most advanced I have seen this planet offers aside from your military. However I do caution adding more firewalls and a lash-back in the event of someone trying to hack into your accounts."

"A lash-back?" asked Dick.

"Yes, I have no other name for it in your language. It's a Thanagarian term where your computer AI will immediately attack back against the invader and depending on how advanced your AI is, it could even hack into the hacker's accounts and implant viruses. Your line of offense for your computer, we can say." explained Shayera.

"Sounds brutal." said Barbara as she accepted a bowl of soup from Alfred. To Shayera's embarrassment she felt her stomach give a grumble, reminding her that she has yet to eat.

"Where are my manners? You must be starving miss." said Alfred as he presented to her a bowl of soup and gestured for her to sit down with the others. Shayera felt another wave of shyness creep into her but she quickly squashed it down and sat down to the offered chair, next to Tim.

"How did you get here?" asked Tim. Shayera had already gulped down her soup much to the bemusement of Alfred and the other two youths. As Alfred filled her bowl again with the delicious food, Shayera contemplated how to tell her story. When she drunk her second bowl again she began her tale.

 **Hey readers! A special thanks to Jexa, magitech, AC333, and lostmoonspell for leaving reviews. They mean a lot to me as a writer to hear different views and opinions. Next chapter hopefully will be up this week. Thanks again :)**


	4. Gotham to Midway

Chapter 4

"My name is Shayera Hol as you already know," said Shayera as she began her tale, "I am a Captain in the Thanagarian Law Enforcement. It's honestly a new set up we have so much of what we know is still infantile compared to your planet's Law Enforcement history. Much of what you have advanced in the field of law is considered new back home. I am one of the first females to make it into the rank of Captain in the history of Law enforcement which really isn't that big of a deal when women are already participating in our military. When Byth had broken out of prison I was the only one in patrol that had been able to stop him. He had stolen a military ship filled with artifacts and newly designed equipments that could have changed how we viewed our planet's history and improved our way of life.

The machine you saw attached to Byth's chest was a prehistoric 'life-enhancer', something which I thought was only a story to tell children before they went to sleep. My people long ago worshipped a foul god who gave us culture, technology, and knowledge. The god, Cthulhu, had required all of our warriors to wear the 'life-enhancer'. The 'life-enhancer' requires hearts of sacrificed individuals to power the machines and prolong the life of the wearer. Unfortunately for Byth, the machine is causing his heart to implode instead of enhance which is why he began his spread of terror in your city. Before I crash landed here on Earth, I had made an attempt to stop Byth from escaping in the warp space where he would have been impossible to track down and who knows where he might have ended up. I crashed my ship onto his in an attempt to stop him from entering it, but we were both pulled in. My ship was able to withstand the blow, but his wasn't. I believe in a desperate attempt Byth had attempted to secure his survival by putting on whatever was available on the ship. It was a foolish attempt and it did not really secure his survival."

"How was Byth able to land here on Earth though three weeks before you crash landed?" asked Tim.

"The warp space must've landed you on different time. I'm sure if had Byth's ship not burned and blew past you, you both might have arrived on Earth at the same time." theorized Bruce.

"Couldn't have explained it better myself. Unfortunately since both Byth's ship and my ship has not survived the entrance to Earth, I have no way of transporting of transporting him or myself back to Thanagar." said Shayera.

"Couldn't you call anybody to help you? Build like a communicator or something?" asked Barbara.

"No, I am only a Captain. Most of what I know of engineering and mechanics is limited to weaponry and basic commercial flight engines… nothing that could withstand the intensity of warp space. I don't even recognize any of the stars up in space. I was… never good at engineering like my father. My mother was an archeologist and a historian so most engineering knowledge is based on ancient engineering… something equivalent to your modern cars." said Shayera.

"You said that law enforcement was a new concept in your world? What changed it?" asked Bruce.

"So many things. My parents would tell me a time of when peace and harmony existed in my planet. Our military was never used to conquer or cause wars, rather we helped keep the peace in our section of the universe. Then the Gordanians arrived wanting to enslave my people and our neighboring planets. They were successful for the first month: enslaving not only my people but the Jorgons and the Tamaranians, but my people quickly learned the ways of war and justice so now everything on my planet is dedicated to total war. We fought back harder than we ever did when we overthrew Cthulhu from our home planet. We wanted freedom so fought for it. Like most wars I learned though based on your planet's history was that with war came crime. It spread like a disease throughout our planet. We needed to tame it quickly so much of my parent's generation was spent learning how to enforce justice against crime. We managed to quell the large crime spree that existed but we haven't been able to get rid of it." said Shayera.

The occupants of the table were silent, digesting everything that Shayera had opened up about. It was thrilling to hear stories about another world and the similar traits they have one planet to another.

"So then how are you getting home?" asked Tim. He watched as sadness erupted across her face before it was back to her neutral face.

"I don't know," whispered Shayera as she felt tears threatening to show on her eyes but she pulled it back.

"Well then you can stay here! I'm pretty sure you can stay here in Gotham!" said Tim, excited at the idea of having another crime fighter in Gotham.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." said Bruce.

"Why not? She can handle the big guys just fine." said Barbara.

"I mean no. Many people have seen Byth terrorize the streets and it wouldn't be too long until someone makes the connection that a woman with similar wings to the terrorist is residing in Gotham." said Bruce.

"Oh." said Tim, "Then she can stay here."

Shayera was touched at his willingness to open his home for her, but she knew that she needed open space and more food in her dietry. She liked working in the day as well, while they worked in the dark. Shayera realized that she needed to know more about this planet and for that, she needs to leave and explore… wouldn't her mother be proud of her now?

"As much as I appreciate the gesture, I must find a way home." said Shayera, "I need to discover if any other artifacts had been on the ship as well. I wouldn't put it past Byth to have hidden other artifacts for him to find later and use."

"Where would you go though? It's kind of hard to hide those wings." said Dick as he got up from his seat to grab some milk.

"I'm not sure where. I have found a national park in my 'studies' of Earth nearby Gotham. Midway I believe its name is. Based on the news reports, Byth had crash-landed there and I need to find those artifacts before it falls in the wrong hands." said Shayera.

"Before you leave, I want you to meet someone who can help you." said Bruce as he got up and left the room. Everything was silent in the kitchen until Shayera asked, "Is he always so brute and bold in his exits?"

"Sometimes my dear, but I wouldn't worry. He's always had a thing for the theatrics." said Alfred as he cleaned the table and put the dishes in the wash. Shayera spent the day fixing her armor that had been pierced by Byth's clawed hand in the batcave. She realized that she would need to replace her armor with something more durable and withstanding if Byth's claws had been able to pierce through it. Where though? Much of this planet's resources might help her but none would be able to hold the power that came from her mace.

Her mace was one of the last weapons to be manufactured by Nth Metal, a resource that is all but gone now. Much of the Nth metal went into armor and weapon production but during the first assault on the Gordonians, all Nth metal was given to the military for use. With the increase of factory productions though, Shayera had theorized during her first year as an officer that Nth metal would cease to exist. She kept her mace's origins a secret, telling everybody that it was built with lesser metal. She couldn't begin to think about parting with her mace, something that she had worked hard for since her ceremony. Her armor was made of cheaper metal for the law enforcement units. The arm brace was the only item, aside from her mace, that had Nth metal properties but only because Shayera was lucky enough to be the one chosen to test it before it was sent to the military.

Shayera sighed as she waited for the metal to cool down. She needed to find a way home. Her family's probably worried out of their minds… or mourning. That final word brought back Shayera to what will most likely happen back home. The force would inform her family that she had most likely died in the attempt to keep the peace. There will be mourning: her father and mother would build the funeral pyre with her possessions since they don't have her body and her brother will most likely be the one to throw the torch, signalling the end of one life and the beginning of another. Shayera quickly wiped her tears away and began to work again on her armor, evening out the dents and polishing the dirt off.

When night came, Shayera said her goodbyes to Tim and Alfred for Barbara and Dick had departed earlier in the day to their homes.

"Come visit ok?" asked Tim, as he still continued to hug Shayera even when she was shaking hands with Alfred.  
"I'll visit." promised Shayera as Tim finally let her go. Bruce had dressed up as the Batman again and held out a small earpiece to her.

"What is this?" asked Shayera as she placed it on her ear.

"It's a comm-link. I'll be able to communicate with you while you're up in the air." explained Bruce. He stepped inside the batmobile and Shayera flexed her wings, ready for another flight. When he drove away, Shayera glanced behind her to give a quick wave goodbye to Tim and Alfred. They waved back as she took up into the air and quickly followed Bruce back into the city of Gotham. The night air was brisk and cold, but with her armor and healed body, Shayera was able to enjoy her nightflight. She could hear several miles away Bruce's vehicle revving through the streets and she quickly gained altitude before diving down and following him.

 _We're going to meet a man that can help you settle in Midway_. she heard Bruce speak to her in the com-link.

 _How can he help_? asked Shayera.

 _He knows the Captain and Commissioner of Midway City. They might be able to help you with their search_. explained Bruce.

Shayera left it at that and made sure to stick high above the building as Bruce navigated through the streets. It was when he stopped the vehicle in an alleyway and got out that Shayera landed on top of a roof and watched him. A light suddenly engulfed the air and Shayera looked up to see that silhouetted on the clouds was the symbol of a bat. She followed the light source to see an old man wearing a large overcoat smoking a pipe. She curiously watched him as he stared up at the light and turn when Bruce appeared behind him. Shayera quietly glided over to where they were and hid behind a wall, after all Bruce didn't really say that she could move greet the man.

"Batman." greeted the man to Bruce.

"Commissioner," said Bruce back in a grittier voice, "Before we begin our routine, I want you to meet someone."

"Not another sidekick? It's bad enough you have three running around Gotham and I have to keep my men from shooting point blank at them." said the Commissioner as he puffed in a smoke.

"She wouldn't appreciate getting shot at after taking care of the Heart-Eater." said Bruce, with a slight humor in his voice.

"Say that again?" asked the Commissioner. Bruce gave a slight nod and Shayera took it as a means to finally reveal herself. She walked out from behind the wall and walked towards them. Her footsteps were heavy by the armor which alerted the Commissioner of her presence. He turned and Shayera was almost amused when his pipe almost fell out of his gaping mouth. She figured she might look more intimidating than Bruce by her mask, her gold, red and black armor and her mace hanging by her hip.

"Th-That's a-a?" stuttered the Commissioner.

"I am Captain Shayera Hol and I am from the Thanagarian Law Enforcement." Shayera said as she introduced herself. She stuck her hand out like she read from the Absorbatron as a way of greeting. A couple of seconds ticked by and Shayera was feeling a little awkward. Bruce slightly nudged the Commissioner who shook his head to break out of his stupor and shook hands with Shayera.

"Uhhm.. I am Commissioner James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department." said Commissioner Gordon.

"I am in need of assistance." said Shayera, wanting to get it over with. It felt strange involving this human in her quest, but if Bruce trusted the man then she can as well. The Absorbatron suddenly began to bombard her with news of James Gordon. Flashes of images danced before her eyes as one after another, Shayera was absorbing information about James Gordon. He was a loyal, honorable, and dedicated man. Shayera had grasped her head slightly but recovered quickly.

"Are you alright?" asked Bruce, noticing her slight pain.

"I'm fine. The Absorbatron was just giving me more information." said Shayera.

"I thought you gathered all information you needed on Earth." said Bruce.

"In a way, I only took all the information I needed not what I wanted." said Shayera.

"I'm a little lost here." said Commissioner Gordon making his presence known again.

"I'm sorry. I need assistance in locating and retrieving artifacts that came with Byth." explained Shayera.

"Who?" asked Commissioner Gordon.

"The Heart-Eater." informed Bruce.

"I believe his hide-out might have been close to Midway City." said Shayera.

"Then why get me to help?" asked Commissioner Gordon, wondering what role he has to play.

"We need you to help introduce her to the Midway City Police Department. She's going to need help in grouping the artifacts away from the wrong hands." explained Bruce.

"Ah-huh…. alright we can get to that after I give you this." said Commissioner Gordon as he gave Bruce a strange vial filled with contaminated water.

"Clayface." said Bruce simply, eyes narrowing. Commissioner Gordon nodded his head in agreement and said, "We found traces of his mud all along the water reserves, we managed to stop the contamination from spreading in the city, but we don't know where to find our mucky friend."

"Leave it to me. In the meantime can you help our friend here meet with the MCPD?" asked Bruce.

"Sure thing. Aside from Clayface, we think this might be a quiet night. I have officers on the patrol in the meantime." said Commissioner Gordon as he waved bye at the Batman who left after an exchange of nods with Shayera Hol.

Commissioner Gordon turned to truly look at the woman more clearly and saw that she was almost as tall his daughter, Barbara. Her wings give her an added height deception however, distracting people from her mace and armor.

"Come along, Miss Hol. We have a long drive ahead of us." said Gordon, as he took out his cellphone. Shayera watched with interest as he punched in a series of numbers and began to talk into it.

"Hello? Barbara? Hey, I'll be out all night and I'll probably won't see you until tomorrow afternoon. I have some business to take care of in Midway City. Ok, honey. Yeah. I know what the doctor said. Ok honey, I love you too. Bye."

"A loved one?" asked Shayera, knowing it was already Barbara Gordon the Batgirl but decided to play the fool in case the man was not aware of his daughter's night-time vigilante role. Rath'a only knows, though.

"Yeah, my daughter. Always thinks I'm one step away from over the edge." chuckled Commissioner Gordon, "Anyways, my police cruiser is parked in the alley. Let's go."

Shayera watched him make a move towards the door and deciding that the quicker they get to the vehicle then the faster they can get to Midway was to grab the Commissioner from under his arms and flew him down to the alley.

"WHOA! WHOA! ALRIGHT! THAT WAS FUN, BUT PLEASE GIVE AN OLD MAN WARNING NEXT TIME!" said Commissioner Gordon, feeling the adrenaline beat against his heart with vigor.

"I apologize." said Shayera, feeling guilt swell up inside her. Gordon noticed the guilty stance and quickly said, "Like I said, it was fun." Shayera gave a weak smile and followed the Commissioner to his vehicle. She balked however at the size of the vehicle. There was almost no room for her wings and Shayera knew that was going to be a problem.

"Alright, hop in." said Commissioner Gordon as he unlocked the car and opened the backdoor. He looked behind him to see the woman give him a blank stare… or what could be described as a blank stare as he couldn't really tell behind her mask.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't…. I don't like small spaces. Perhaps I could fly above and follow you." Said Shayera.

Gordon looked at his vehicle and then at her wings.

"Oh. I guess you could. Once daylight breaks out though, you're just going to have to deal with it. Here." Said Gordon as he reached in the passenger seat and pulled out a pair of walkie-talkies. After fiddling with the devices he gave one to Shayera and spoke in the one he kept for himself.

 **Here me good?**

"Yes. I can hear you in this communicator and outwardly as well." Confirmed Shayera.

Gordon chuckled and said, "Good. Now let's get this show on the road."

Shayera launched herself into the sky and followed the Commissioner as he drove out of the city and into new uncharted territory. Shayera took the time and solitude to think over her self-placed mission. She needed to find any artifacts that might have been hidden by Byth and retrieve them immediately. She knows enough about illegal artifact trading in other planets to know that if any humans come across Thanagarian technology, it could spell doom.

Many hours passed by and the night turned to day. Shayera and Gordon had checked in with each other every other hour to be sure that they didn't get separated. It was at the first sign of daybreak that Gordon called in through the walkie-talkie, "Hey, now's the time for you to hitch a ride."

He stopped the car on the side of the road and waited for Shayera to land. It took a while as cars passed by them on the highway, but once it cleared Shayera dove out of the cloud coverage and landed quickly beside Gordon.  
"I know this might be a little uncomfortable, but we can't have you just showing up wings, armor, and mace without panicking the public." Explained Gordon as he opened the backdoor.

"I have seen the news report of Superman and this man called the Flash performing extraordinary abilities though out in the daylight. I haven't seen anyone else reacting negatively towards it." Said Shayera as, after a brief struggle, squeezed in the backseat.

"You probably only read the recent news liners about our current times. Back when Superman, Flash, and even Batman began their hero crusade, nobody wanted them. I'll admit even I was skeptical about Batman in the beginning. This is what I want to try and help you avoid. We need to show the Midway Police that you are a trustworthy ally." Explained Commissioner Gordon as he sat back up in the front seat and continued to drive to Midway. Shayera nodded her head in understanding and began to ask questions about Gordon's detective techniques. After an hour of talking, Gordon announced, "Here we are."

Shayera looked out the window to see a city grow in the distance. It was beautiful to say the least. The tall buildings, unlike Gotham's dark exterior, were shining in the sun and reflecting the blue sky into an even deeper blue color. Shayera leaned a little out to see more of the city as they drive by many factories and old rundown buildings. Shayera moved from one window to the other trying to catch more of Midway. Gordon had to suppress a chuckle as the alien woman moved from window to window trying to catch all of the city. Midway certainly was a brighter place than Gotham.

Jim could feel butterflies form in his stomach as he thought about what to say to Commissioner Emmett. Commissioner George Emmett was very vocal about superheroes interfering with police business and has often expressed his distaste during Police Balls and Fundraisers. He shrugged the feelings aside and parked his squad car in an open alley next to the police station.

"Ok, I'll go inside first ok? You wait here until I come get you, alright?" instructed Gordon. Shayera nodded her affirmation and flexed her wings a bit, trying to stave off the claustrophobia. Gordon noticed her obvious discomfort and said, "I'll be quick."

He quickly walked out of the car and rounded out of the alley to the Midway City Police Station. He walked in and looked around the building. The bottom floor was filled with officers on desk duty and operators taking in calls. Gordon looked around until he found the stairs and made his way up towards Commissioner Emmett's office. When he reached the office door, Gordon took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

 **Hey readers, sorry for the late post. I had finals for my summer school classes. This is what I could do under the circumstances. I'll be working on the next chapter now that finals are over so hopefully it'll be up by Sunday. Thanks for reading and leave a review for suggestions or opinions. Thank you :)**


	5. Establishing an Understanding

Shayera kept her eyes closed and meditated while she waited for Commissioner Gordon to return. He was kind enough to have the windows so Shayera didn't worry about suffocating in the car. What really worried her was the fact that she couldn't spread her wings so far apart. Shayera never could handle claustrophobia well like her co-captains. During her training to become an officer, Shayera nearly failed the preliminary tests when she almost bashed her way out of the tunnel she was required to crawl through, but she had held her breath and quickly crawled out of the tunnel. Of course, back on Thanagar it was a tunnel where it seemed to go on forever. Here, she was in a caged tin box. She would personally rather take the tunnel over this, but she wants things to go easy so she continued her meditation and ignored the growing unease.

Time seemed to pass by very slowly and Shayera was tempted to lie back against her seat and fall asleep as she waited for Gordon to contact her. She watched from her seat as people walked by the alley, going about their business and enjoying the bright sun. Shayera wanted to feel the sun for herself since she spent most of her time here on this planet in the dark and gloom. Shayera tried to stretch her legs, but found that she had little legroom and while she's thinking about it, she has no wing room. The bars surrounding her made the room she had feel very small. Claustrophobia reared its ugly head again and Shayera tried to stretch her arms but found her wings blocking her attempt. Shayera began to hyperventilate and moved towards her door. She gripped the handle and attempted to open the door. When it didn't budge against her frantic attempts, Shayera muttered, "Forgive me, Commissioner Gordon."

Shayera folded her wings as tight as she could and with her shoulder, she launched herself against the door and broke free. She fell on the ground and quickly stood up. She flexed her wings and Shayera gave herself five seconds to stretch before focusing back on her mission. It was only when she began to pay attention to her surroundings did she hear murmurs behind her. She turned around to see bystanders gawking at her. She must be quite the sight for these people in her armor and with wings. She stood tall and stared down the bystanders, daring any of them to approach her. It was honestly the most uncomfortable moment for Shayera as people took out a small handheld device and began to press buttons. Based on her information-deposit by the Absorbascon, cell phones were an essential part in a human's life. By the sounds of it, Shayera knew they were taking pictures of her.

She almost reached for her mace in an attempt to scare them off when an explosion rocked the building. The humans screamed and began to run for cover and Shayera ducked behind Gordon's vehicle for cover. She looked around the alley to be sure she was alone and quickly ran the other way of the alley. There were more humans screaming and Shayera could see the large smoke cloud running from the building next to her. Shayera quickly hid behind the corner of the wall to see a well-dressed human approach the building with an eyepiece. Observing the man, Shayera could tell that he was responsible for the blast by the way he approached the burning building and was fingering his eyepiece. His eyepiece is actually a worthy piece of technology in Shayera's mind. As she observed it closely with her vision, she was able to see the almost invisible wires inside the eyepiece that help power it up. She watched as the man spoke to someone inside the building and he fired again inside, Shayera quickly ran back into the alley as the man made another entrance for her to enter in the alley. Shayera looked inside and to her relief, Commissioner Gordon was fine and was wielding his weapon in his hand. A scream distracted Shayera and she saw a female fall from the ceiling and onto the ground. A man next to Gordon screamed for the girl and attempted to reach her, but the eyepiece wearing man attempted to end his life with a blast. Shayera immediately assessed the dangers and launched herself into the building, flying to the girl and shielding her from the blast. Shayera had curled her wings around herself and the girl to protect them from the blast. Shayera almost scoffed at the human's beam. It was nothing compared to a Gordanian's energy blast, so her armor was stable enough to withstand the human's beams. When Shayera was sure they were safe, she slowly stood and turned to the man, taking in immense pleasure at seeing his shock run across his face before it was replaced by fear.

Commissioner Gordon was nervous as he knocked on Emmett's door. It was a real risk having to ask a favor from Emmett knowing that he was jeopardizing his job, but he had faith that Emmett would keep his head to reason and listen to him. The door opened to reveal a young pretty brunette opening the door and exclaiming in surprise, "Oh! Commissioner Gordon! This is a pleasant surprise!"

"Hello Kendra. May I speak with Commissioner Emmett please?" asked Gordon.

"Um, sure? He's kind of in a mood though, so I'd be careful if I were you." Informed Kendra as she led Gordon inside the office. On the other side of the room was the real office door to Commissioner Emmett's office. Gordon had often wished he had an office similar to it, but knew that he had a pretty good set-up back at Gotham. As he approached the door, he could hear angry shouting at the other side and quickly shook off his ill feelings at a possible argument. Gordon had a very long night and was only able to make it through it by holding conversations with Shayera so he needed to make the introductions quickly and try to establish a common ground between the two. The only thing Gordon has though was that this Shayera Hol and George Emmett are both officers of the law, but would that be enough to actually make Emmett accept Shayera into Midway and help her in her mission?

Gordon knocked on the office door and waited until the shouting stopped. The door opened to reveal a broad-shouldered, white-haired man with a handlebar moustache. Gordon smiled and greeted, "Howdy George."

"Jim? Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? Come in, come in!" greeted Emmett with a smile on his face. He just got off the phone with first the press and then the District Attorney who were harassing him about the mafia's latest trial that will be appearing next week. If Emmett doesn't provide enough evidence at the trial, then Mob Boss Harrison will be released free and the drug trafficking will continue in Midway.

"What's bring you to Midway Jim? Having problems with the Bat?" asked Emmett as he and Gordon sat down in their respective chairs.

"No, I'm good on that end George. I just have a favor to ask is all." Said Gordon. Emmett nodded his head and asked, "Well if it's in my jurisdiction then sure."

"See… I have recently met a Captain that is in need of some help locating several stolen items." Explained Gordon, going for the half-truth.

"And she came to you and now you both need my help?" asked Emmett, wondering where this was going.

"Yes, see we believe that the thief has hidden several of the items in or around Midway but he is currently in a hospital so he's not going to say much." Explained Gordon.

"Alright, then bring her in and we can discuss how we can proceed from here." Said Emmett. As soon as the words left his mouth though, an explosion was heard outside the building. The building shook from the blast and both Commissioners stood up from their seats and ran out the office, guns in hand and ready for anything.

"Kendra! Stay inside! I'll be right back." Ordered Emmett as Kendra hid underneath her desk. Police officers and detectives were running around helping the wounded or getting ready for what might greet them. Emmett and Gordon both crouched behind an upturned desk and looked over to see a man with a monocle walk into the police building.

"JONATHAN!" yelled Emmett, recognizing the man as he calmly walked in and surveyed the damage. Jonathan Cheval was an honest business who had recently lost his fortune to a bad deal with Mob Boss Harrison. He always called the police station demanding that the money be returned to him, but with the tight-knit contract that Cheval signed with Harrison there was no way to return his money. Now here he was blasting the police headquarters.

"Good morning Commissioner Emmett, I see that you have received my call." Greeted Jonathan with a wry tone in his voice.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" yelled Emmett as Jonathan reached for his monocle and it began to charge in power.

"I am here to receive the justice that is owed to me, starting with the lack of police activity in retrieving my fortune back." Said Jonathan as he fired the monocle in a straight line across the building. Fire erupted on the wooden furniture while many of the police officers and detectives dove out of the way to avoid getting cut in half by the beam. Many tried to fire their weapons at Jonathan but he was a step ahead of them. The bullets hit him, but they did nothing on him.

"Bullet-proof materials Emmett, something the Police should think about actually funding for." Mocked Jonathan.

He fired another beam and walls were blasted open while the ceilings cracked open. A familiar scream caught Emmett's attention and he turned to see in horror as Kendra fell through the ceiling and into the middle of Jonathan's sights. "KENDRA!" he yelled as he made a move towards her, only to be pulled back by Gordon as Jonathan attempted to fry Emmett when he tried to leave the safety of his hiding place.

"YOU SIDED WITH THOSE RATS AND DIDN'T EVEN ATTEMPT TO HELP ME, EMMETT! NOW WATCH AS I TAKE EVERYTHING _YOU_ HAVE!" screamed Jonathan as he fired a beam at the girl. For Emmett, things seemed to have slowed down and he watched as the beam was fired at his only niece. He screamed and thrashed against Gordon, who held him back as he tried to run to his niece. Then, in almost out of nowhere, a gold blur rushed into the building from the open walls and encircled around his niece. The beam hit the intended target, but it seemed to bounce off the gold figure. Emmett watched in amazement as the gold figure rose into a standing position and turned to face Jonathan, who was quaking in his shoes. His attention shifted back to his niece who was curled up against the wall, eyes wide as she looked at her guardian. `

"Kendra! Come here!" said Emmett as he gestured to his niece to come towards him. Kendra stared wide-eyed at the angel that saved her life. She wasn't exactly a committed religious person but she still went to church with her Aunt Alice to know an angel when she sees one. The beautiful grey wings were covered from the top by the gold armor and they were spread out to shield Kendra from any other blasts. Kendra heard her uncle whisper to her urgently again and she quickly crawled over to his safe arms. Once safe in her uncle's arms, Kendra turned to see the angel fully and realized that she had a more hawk-like appearance than a holy appearance. She looked fierce and deadly, a combination that made the man with the monocle look at the woman in fear.

"You will not harm anyone else, ever." Commanded the woman in such an authoritive voice that Kendra found it difficult to believe that the monocle man didn't follow through. "Oh? You think that getting lucky once grants you the right to command me? I don't think so." Snarled the monocle man. He powered up the monocle and blaster at her with full power. Light engulfed the angel and Kendra had to shield her eyes from the powerful light. When everything was dimmed down, Kendra smiled in relief, as the woman remained standing with a mace in hand.

"Wh-What are you?" said the monocle man in fear as he backed away.

"None of your concerns." Said the angel and faster than anyone can react, she flew at the monocle man and with her talon-hand she crushed the monocle and with her mace knocked the man out of the building and on top of a parked car. The monocle man groaned in pain but didn't make an attempt to stand up. The angel made a move as though to continue the fight but Kendra watched as Commissioner Gordon got up and yelled, "CAPTAIN! HE'S DOWN! STAND DOWN!"

Shayera heard Commissioner Gordon yell an order and decided to heed his command… for now. If the weak man decided to get up from the vehicle, Shayera was going to make sure he became a permanent part of the car. He was only lucky that Shayera had put it in a mild swing in her mace. She walked to Commissioner Gordon and said, "Now that the pleasantries are over with, perhaps we can get back into business."

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" yelled the voice of Commissioner Emmett. Shayera and Commissioner Gordon both turned to see Emmett, along with most of the Midway City Police Department pointing their guns at Shayera.

"WAIT! EMMETT!" yelled Gordon, trying to get his friend's attention.

"JIM! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" yelled Emmett, his sights trained on the woman. He ignored Kendra's cries for him to stop and slowly approached the woman.

"Put your hands up where I can see them." He said. The woman only stared at him and he found it difficult to read her face with her mask on. The woman continued to stare at him, refusing to obey his orders.

"I said, put your hands up." Ordered Emmett again.

"George, listen to me." tried Gordon again. He moved in front of Shayera and said, "George listen to me. Remember the captain that I was telling you about? Well, this is she."

George gave Jim a look but slowly relaxed and signaled to the rest of the officers to do so as well. Gordon took a deep breathe at successfully avoiding a potential disaster and said, "Commissioner George Emmett of the Midway City Police Department, I'd like to introduce to you Captain Shayera Hol of the Thanagarian Law Enforcements."

Murmurs passed by the crowd of witnesses and officers as they watched the woman slowly approach the Commissioner. She reached for her mace, causing everybody to stiffen in response, but gave the handle of the mace for the Commissioner to hold. Emmett eyed the offering and cautiously grabbed the handle, grunting when the woman released her hold to reveal the actual weight of the weapon. Emmett glanced at the woman and saw her remove her weaponized arm brace. She too handed it over for him to hold. Emmett looked at the woman in suspicion but said, "Alright then, what is it that you want."

Shayera looked at the man with new respect and said, "I need your help in locating artifacts that had been hidden in your city."

"Artifacts? What artifacts?" asked Emmett.

"I don't know exactly what it is which is why I require your help." said Shayera.

Emmett looked at the woman in surprise but said, "Alright. I'll help, but if you're going to be in my city then you are going to be doing things my way then. And after we find them, I want you out." With that, he handed back the weapons and turned to walk back into the police headquarters, wrapping his arms around his niece as he led her back inside.

"Well, I'll be honest. I expected a lot worse," said Gordon as he took out his pipe and began to smoke. Shayera just looked at him and offered a weak smile.

"Why did you try to arrest her?" asked Kendra as she followed her uncle back in the police headquarters.

"Kendra, if you want to join the police force then you must know that it is the duty of the policeman to serve and protect the community. I will not have some superhero decide to call the shots in my city." said Emmett, already feeling the earlier frustrations of the morning coming back to him.

"She saved my life from something that looked like it couldn't be stopped. Doesn't that count?" asked Kendra, wondering why her uncle held such opposition against the woman.

"It does, Kendra. Which is why I agreed to help. I want her out though. People like her? They always attract the wrong crowd Kendra. Wh-Why do you think Metropolis is in a constant state of destruction? Superman, he has his heart in the right place, but where do you think all these 'villains' come from? Some sick man always wants to be the one to take down the superhero and they begin to cause trouble just to get attention for the man to come in and try to save the day. Kendra, Superheroes have good intentions yes. But they go about it the wrong way. They completely disregard police investigations and evidence; they have no respect for the law by going about things their own way, and they answer to no one. This is why I don't like superheroes." said Emmett.

"If I may speak on my behalf, Commissioner?" said a voice behind Emmett. He turned to see the woman back and said, "You may."

"I am not from this planet, so please don't assume that I am familiar with the hostilities between those that you call superheroes and yourself. I name is Captain Shayera Hol and I serve under the Thanagarian Law Enforcement. I am… a police officer from the planet Thanagar."

"You… You're alien?" asked Emmett, not believing that there in front of him was an actual alien from outer-space.

"Yes? To be fair, I can say that in both our perspectives we are all alien. I came here to Earth by accident chasing down a criminal from my home world. I managed to stop him, but it seems he may have hidden some of the stolen artifacts and have scattered them across you city." explained Shayera,

"You said though that you have no idea what they are." said Emmett.

"I don't, but if anything seems to appear non-human or if anything seems to be out of the ordinary, I would like for you to contact me. It is dangerous to have these artifacts out where anyone might find them." explained Shayera.

"So you want to stay in Midway?" asked Kendra, speaking up for the first time. She ignored the look her uncle sent her and continued to look at the woman.

"Yes, I have no way to communicate with you other than staying in the city and dropping in the police station to ask." said Shayera.

"You can stay at our house." offered Kendra, once again ignoring the furious look her uncle sent her.

"Thank you but I must decline your offer. I too need to be searching for the artifacts, so I must be on my way." said Shayera as she turned to leave.

"Hold on! Where will you be exactly?" demanded Emmett, not liking how this was turning. Shayera seemed surprised by his demands but responded respectfully, "I will be by the national park: Byth crash-landed there so I must trace his steps in order to know exactly where he might have hidden the artifacts."

"Alright, if we're going to be doing this 'partnership' then you need to report to the police headquarters every day so I know that you won't be doing anything other than search for your artifacts." said Emmett, wanting to establish rules if he was going to allow an alien cop fly around his city.

"Agreed." said Shayera.

"And another, I want you to have someone from the police station with you at all times."

"That will slow down my progress." argued Shayera.

"Maybe, but I want to feel more secure to know that one of my men will be with you."

"Alright then, who do you have in mind?"

"I'll do it." volunteered Kendra. Emmett threw her a furious look and said, "That's enough out of you young lady."

"Uncle, I'm old enough to look after myself. Trust me!" argued Kendra, feeling a bit embarrassed at being treated like a child in front of the alien cop.

"We'll discuss this later. Do you agree to my terms?" asked Emmett. Shayera nodded her head and left the building, feeling a slight bit of tension between the young girl and her uncle. Shayera could recall the many times she has often sided with her uncles back home. Home. Shayera held back her feelings of despair and hoped that whatever Byth hid might help her find her way home. She was outside and met with Gordon, who was getting ready to leave for Gotham.

"So how'd it go?" asked Gordon.

"About as well as I could hope for. He's strict but he has his people's interest in his mind." said Shayera.

"You'll be ok here by yourself?"

"Yes, I am confident that I can perhaps win over Commissioner Emmett's favor with time. We just finished establishing an understanding between us."

"That's good. Now listen, if you ever want someone to talk with, I'll be in Gotham. I'm sure though you have a way to communicate with our mutual friend."

"Yes, he-"

"Wait! The less I know, the better. Trust me. Keep in touch ok?" said Gordon.

"I will. Thank you for everything Commissioner Gordon."

"Call me Jim, Shayera. I feel that we are at that point where I can call you my friend." said Gordon as he gave a final wave and left in his car back to Gotham. Shayera smiled at his offer of friendship and hoped that she could win over the people of Midway City during her (hopefully) brief stay here on Earth.


	6. Hawkgirl

**Midway City Times: Late Night Edition**

Armored Winged-Heroine saves the Midway City Police Department

By David Jones

 _This morning at 10:30 at the Midway City Police Department, Jonathan Cheval, ex-business tycoon and former CEO of Monocle Corps, was seen standing outside the MCPD and unleashing a blast of terror that left over 23 injured and one in critical care. Jonathan Cheval was a respected businessman with specialty in optical eye care. Recent events have led to the decline of Monocle Corps and the revelations of Cheval's involvement with the mob has led to drop in sales and the loss of his fortune and company._

 _Cheval was seen standing amidst his destruction and conversing with Commissioner_

 _George Emmett. Witnesses report Cheval's madness in blaming the MCPD for his loss of fortune and proceeded to demolish the Police Headquarters with high-tech gear and injured countless more officers and bystanders. It was in his move to kill that witnesses report seeing the armored-angel appear and protect the would-be victim. Witnesses have given testimony that the armored-hero then proceeded to confront Cheval. Cheval made another attempt to disintegrate the armored-hero, but was immediately stopped by the armored-angel._

 **Continue to pg. 6 for 'Friend or Foe' debate**

"Would-be victim? At least learn my name Jones!" said Kendra, irritated at being identified as a victim. "It's better if the press didn't know your name, _mija_. You know your _tio_ wouldn't like it if Jones had written your name on the paper… or if you gave testimony yourself about what happened today." Said Aunt Alice. Kendra looked up from the paper to see her _tia_ walking about and setting up the dinner table. The ride home was awkward to say the least. Uncle George was furious at Kendra for trying to get involved with what he deemed as 'dangerous' work. When they got home, Uncle George immediately locked himself up in his study while Kendra spent the remainder of her evening helping her Aunt cook. When the Midway City Times released the evening edition, Kendra wanted to see what the city thought of Shayera Hol, the Captain of another world. Kendra was curious and she wanted to know more about worlds outside of Earth and of the different law enforcements outside. When she volunteered to 'partner up' with Shayera, she wanted to know the woman behind the armor but her Uncle was being very adamant that she stays out of this particular case.

Kendra flipped through the Times and read a couple of news articles about the opening of a new exhibit in the Midway Museum, the upcoming trials of Mob Boss Harrison, and several sales at the Midway Pines Mall. Kendra read through the Times with lackluster and waited until it officially time to eat. When her Uncle George came down, the calm and relaxed atmosphere immediately tensed up. Her Aunt Alice though walked and hummed around as though nothing was wrong. When they were served their dinner and began eating, Kendra thought up of ways to try and alleviate the tension but she also wanted to confront the issue with her Uncle.

"So about this morning-"

"Kendra-"

"-I know you can trust me to be with Shayera Hol-"

"Kendra!"

"-so please reconsider this-"

" _Mija! Por favor! Escucha_!" said Aunt Alice, wanting things to be said and over with. Kendra looked at her Aunt first and looked back at her Uncle, pleading with her eyes.

George Emmett would like to think that he was a fair man: that he listens to other people and was open to ideas. Today though tested him to the brink where he wanted to lock his niece up in her room—never mind that she is already 20 years old—and keep her in there away from all the trouble. When he lost his best friend and brother-in-law in the house fire, he was devasted. His wife, Alice, had also lost her sister that night: Kendra's mother. They both immediately adopted Kendra without a second thought, wanting to provide what was best for her. When Kendra joined the police force, Emmett went ballistic and the two had a silent cold war for a few weeks until they eventually made-up and were a family again. Emmett didn't want to go back to those cold war days as he took a look at his niece and said, "Alright, you can partner up with… _her_. I want you back before 11 pm though and I want you to call me every other hour."

Kendra smiled a grin that she was sure was going to split her face and ran around the table to hug her Uncle. "Thank you." She whispered and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Emmett chuckled and hugged her before reaching out and hugging Alice as well. They small family laughed and Emmett thought to himself how he needed to inform the alien cop about some more basic rules. When dinner was finished and eaten, Kendra retired early to bed while Emmett and Alice remained in the kitchen and talked.

"Why reject having a hero in the city, George?" asked Alice as she washed the dishes while Emmett dried them.  
"Midway doesn't need one of them running around." said Emmett.

"It seems like we could use one. The Cheval man nearly killed Kendra, and as valiant as your efforts were even you couldn't stop him. We can only thank the Lord that this woman was there to save her." reasoned Alice. Emmett looked at his wife of thirty years and smiled at her. She always was the voice of reason.

"Then what do I do?" he asked, hugging his wife and kissing her forehead. "Add her to your squadron." said Alice, smiling as she felt him stiffen.

"What?" he asked, backing away to get a better view of his wife's face. "Add her to your force. If Kendra will be partnered up with her, then you may as well include them into your squadron." said Alice. Emmett looked at his wife with the idea spinning in his head. It was when he received the call from the Station that his good mood from earlier was replaced with determination and the uneasy migraine that is now starting to associate with the alien cop.

Shayera had a long but very promising day. Aside from combing through the national park from above and below, the only indication that Byth had hidden the artifacts was when she located the remains of Byth's ship deep in the caves and discovered the Inventory Control Sheet. She never would have found it if not for the Absorbascon. One of the hidden features of the Absorbascon was that while on, Shayera was able to learn avian languages… a language that not even humans were able to understand.

It came as a surprise to her when around mid-afternoon Shayera was basking in the sun, taking a break from her search. So far, she had managed to evade the cameras of the public and had tried her best to avoid curious followers who wanted a glimpse of her. Shayera was frustrated when she came up with nothing during her search so she decided to rest her body and enjoy the sunlight that Gotham City was somehow opposed to. Shayera had managed to find a meadow in the park that was further away from the city and more into the mountains. She had taken her mask off and her armor, setting them aside with her mace as she laid down and flared her wings out, wanting to feel the rays of this planet's sun. Time passed and Shayera had almost fallen asleep when she heard a chirp in the distance. The meadow was mostly quiet so it was surprising to finally hear a noise come from the trees.

Shayera sat up and looked around, thinking if a human had managed to reach her location. She turned to see that a medium-sized bird was perched on a low branch across the meadow from her. Shayera redressed in her mask and armor, wondering if this bird might belong to someone. Shayera could feel the Absorbascon light up and the information once again flowed into her brain. The hawk was looking at her with piercing eyes and gave a piercing cry, except Shayera could hear the words in the cry: _Winged Sister_.

Shayera flared her wings a bit before settling them back against her, feeling a bit nervous. "Can you understand me?" she asked the hawk. The hawk turned its head to get a better view of Shayera and gave another cry: _Yes_.

Shayera studied the graceful creature and asked, "May I ask for your assistance?"

 _You may_.

"I am searching for strange objects that have landed here from the skies many moons ago."

 _Objects? Such as a large burning nest?_

"A nest? You mean a ship?"

 _If that is what it is called, then yes._

"Do you know of the location?"

 _Yes. Strange creature brought it to a cave down by the cliffs._

"Can you take me there?"

 _Yes. Follow me._

The hawk flew from its perch and rose above to the skies and Shayera followed it after clipping her mace back on. Shayera followed the hawk away from the forest and towards a steep-sided canyon carved by raging river down below. Shayera followed the hawk down in the canyon and landed on the ground while the hawk perched on a fallen tree.

 _There, behind the loose boulders is the cave._

Shayera walked towards the loose boulders and moved them out of the way to reveal the cave. She walked in and fought against her claustrophobia again as she walked deeper into the cave. It took a few minutes spelunking down the cave but she managed to reach the ship in a wide-open cavern. Shayera was praising small miracles as she flew down to the ship and examined the damages. There was no hope for it to be able to travel in space so Shayera went inside to find clues. Most of the control pad was wrecked beyond repair but the discovery of the Inventory Control Sheet helped Shayera discover exactly what was in the ship.

 **Thanagarian Research and Archeological Division**

 **Inventory Control Sheet**

 **Items #1-6**

 **1.)** Life-Enhancer: Confirmed working model. Useable for further experimentation at Orak

Testing Facility.

 **2.)** Absorbascon: Newly Upgraded Model. To be sent to General Hro Talek.

 **3.)** Rakon: Working model. Allows consumer to shift into any life form. Needs further

experimentation.

 **4.)** Portable Beam Ray: Working model. To be sent to Lieutenant Paran Dul.

 **5.)** Unconfirmed Artifact #52: Unknown artifact. Dated to 30 million years back. To be sent to

Orak Testing Facility for further

 **6.)** Hyperspace Bypass Network: Blueprints to be sent to General Hro Talek and High Council.

 **Notes: Items #1-6 to be sent immediately for the Military.**

Shayera almost teared when she recognized her mother's handwriting on the Control Sheet and carefully folded it and placed it inside her chest-armor's hidden pocket. She investigated around the ship more in the hopes of discovering more until she tripped over a hidden wire. Shayera quickly glanced down to follow it and see that she had detonated a crudely constructed bomb. She flew out of the ship quickly and began to run out of the cave just as the bomb set off. Shayera managed to jump out of the cave just when the whole cave collapsed.

 _Did you find what you were looking for?_ asked the Hawk, still perched on the fallen tree.

"Yes, thank you my friend." said Shayera as she took out the Inventory Sheet again. She mentally crossed off the items on the list that she knew were already destroyed or possibly located. The sheet provided pictures next to the name on the list and for that, Shayera again praised for small miracles.

She looked at the list and knew that the Life-Enhancer is with Byth, destroyed by the crash and now slowly consuming Byth. The Rakon was a pill that Shayera knows Byth swallowed for what else could explain his grotesque appearance. Byth must have attempted to shift his form and ended up in his new body. Shayera looked at the picture of the Beam Ray and realized that the criminal from earlier today had it in his possession… or did until Shayera crushed the glass piece in her hands. So out of the six items on the list, four had been discovered and located. The Life-Enhancer and the Rakon were with Byth and are now obsolete. Shayera is currently in possession of the Absorbascon and the Portable Beam Ray is destroyed. That left the Blueprints and the Unconfirmed Artifact to be found.

Shayera looked at the picture of the Unconfirmed Artifact and saw that while shiny, the silver smooth stone looked nothing remarkable. Shayera read her mother's words and knows that it holds historic value if her mother actually took the time to date the stone. The blueprints would be the key item to find. For it to be sent to General Talek and the High Council means that it probably holds great importance for the war. Shayera was going to fly back to Midway when her stomach growled. Damn her hunger. Shayera almost wished she decided to join the military if only to be able to train her body when the appropriate times were for personal needs. Shayera glanced at the hawk and asked, "Do you know where I might find a food source?"

 _Follow me._ said the hawk and it flew up into the sky. Shayera followed it up and was at first confused when they began to circle around the meadow until she spotted a small creature hop along the tall grass. She was assaulted with images of the creature thanks to the Absorbascon and now knows everything there is to know about rabbits and bunnies. The hawk circled a few times until it dove down with talons out front. Shayera watched in amazement at the speed and agility the hawk held as it squeezed its talons around the rabbit. Shayera followed the hawk down and watched as it ate the carcass of the rabbit but it left a little behind and hopped away.

 _Eat friend._ said the hawk. Shayera glanced down at the still bloody carcass and said, "Thank you." With her talon hand, she skinned the pelt off the carcass and ate the meat. She did her best to swallow the meat, but the copper taste of the blood made her squeamish. When she finished the offered meat, Shayera found that she didn't really mind after getting used to it, but it did make a messy meal. Shayera flew towards the running river from the canyon and cleaned herself up. She first cleaned the blood from her armor and face before drinking from the river, enjoying the cool and refreshing taste.

Night had fallen and Shayera lazily flew around the trees with her hawk companion. She thought about the whole day and wondered how she was going to find those blueprints. For sure the Thanagarian Research and Archeological Division would have back ups of the blueprints, but Shayera had felt a bitter and acidic feeling building in the pit of her stomach when she first read about the Hyperspace Bypass. Shayera flew to the city and landed on top of a clock tower, her hawk friend landing beside her. The city truly was beautiful at night. Lights from the vehicles and the buildings gave a beautiful light show unseen on Thanagar.

Shayera sighed as she thought of Thanagar. How is she ever going to get home? Much of Earth's space traveling was only ever intended for reaching their sister planet, Mars. Shayera couldn't really do much herself if all her basic knowledge of space engineering was only meant for commercial flight and not warp-drive… she doesn't even know the basic science behind warp drive! Shayera growled in frustration and removed her helmet and Absorbascon. She felt the night air lightly breeze by her.

 _Are you upset my friend_? asked the hawk.

"Very much. I am not from this world and I am stranded here away from my family and friends." said Shayera.

 _Why do you have need for them? You are hawk, you should be used to the loneliness_. said the hawk.

"I may look like one of you by my wings, friend. In my home world, family is everything. I should be at home with my family, help train my little brother, have conversations with my father, and spend time with my mother in the library. I am truly alone here." said Shayera sadly. It never really hit her until now that she actually had to fend for herself.

 _You seemed to be handling it pretty well._ observed the hawk.

"In my home world, we are trained at a young age to be able to survive the harshness that my home planet brings. We are at war with another planet and we constantly have air raids and invasions. We are trained to be fighters, but only some would ever truly reject the ideals of war and embrace protecting and serving. I wanted to remain with my family so I became a protector. I was along yes, but I was with family." explained Shayera.

A siren alarmed down below them and Shayera placed her mask back on to see the commotion. A large truck was going down the street followed by two other vehicles with blue and red lights. Shayera used her vision to see Midway City Police written on the side of the blue and red vehicles…. a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor according to the Absorbascon. She watched as the chase came to a standstill and officers came out of the vehicles brandishing weapons in their hands. The owners of the large truck came out spraying projectiles everywhere, causing innocent bystanders to scream and run for cover.

 _Humans._ scoffed the hawk. _I do not understand why they must commit such acts of violence. For green paper of all things. Many of the more violent humans have come running through my tree and attempted to hide the green paper where the blue ones will never find it. They often get caught in the end though, so I don't worry too much of ever seeing those despicable humans._

"A crime's a crime. I must stop this before it gets out of hand." said Shayera. She unclipped her mace from her side and jumped off the building, spreading her wings to catch the air breezing past her. She flew down and witnessed an officer fall by a lucky projectile. "HOWARDS!" she heard the other officer yell. Shayera knew that more would be injured or more likely die if she didn't stop this once and for all.

With a war cry she raised her mace up high and slammed on top of the truck, causing the criminals scatter in surprise and fear. She furled her wings around her to protect her from the projectiles that were now redirected towards her. They stung, but they didn't penetrate her wings and armor. Shayera charged her mace up and the electricity swirled around it. She hit the side of the truck, sending it flying towards the criminals who screamed and ducked down. She quickly flew up and rammed her feet on top of one criminal, pinning him down and threw her still charged mace at the other. The criminal was knocked back into a building and groaned as the electricity incapacitated him. Shayera was glad to have kept the current at low when she first charged it, knowing humans to be very fragile. Shayera kicked the criminal down at her feet at the side of his head, not hard but her armored feet certainly rendered him unconscious.

Shayera walked towards her mace where the second unconscious criminal was and didn't see the third dive out of his hiding place and aimed his weapon at her. The criminal didn't expect to hear the piercing cry of the hawk suddenly appear in the air and he felt his face get gouged by a hawk's talons. He screamed and tried to knock the hawk away but was suddenly met with a fist to the face and was knocked unconscious. "Thank you." said Shayera to the hawk as it landed on top of a light post.

 _You're welcome_. said the hawk.

"HEY! You're the lady that saved the police station! May I ask a few questions please?" cried out a voice. Shayera turned in surprise to see a man carrying an odd looking device in his hand while a woman behind him carried another odd-looking contraption in her hand and shoulders. The Absorbascon blared to life again and assaulted Shayera with images and information about microphones, cameras, and news reporting. Shayera blinked in surprise as the microphone was suddenly in her face and the man asked, "Please miss, what do you call yourself?"

"Santiago Munoz! Why am I not surprised to see you?" said the voice of Commissioner Emmett. The man, Santiago Munoz, turned his attention towards Commissioner Emmett and shoved the microphone in his face and asked, "Commissioner, what is the relationship between Hawkgirl and the Midway City Police Department?"

"Hawkgirl?" asked Emmett, confused as to what was going on. He just finished dinner with his family when he received a call from Howards about an armed robbery at the Midway National Bank. It seemed that even with their boss behind bars, much of Harrison's men were still in active duty. When Emmett reached the scene of the shoot out, Howards was being placed on a gurney and on his way to a hospital while Santiago Munoz was harassing the alien cop.

"Like the name? Really fits her whole hero look, especially with the hawk helping her take out the third man." explained Santiago, wanting to get the story quickly before anyone else can. With luck, he could possibly have an award-winning story comparable to Lois Lane's stories on Superman.

"Look, Santi. The Midway City Police Department has no comments whatsoever. We can only say that we are glad that the crooks are now behind bars and that is _It_." said Emmett, wanting the media to go away from the scene. Santi had other plans though and gestured for the woman to turn the camera off. He turned to the Commissioner and said, "Come on George, you gotta give me something."

"Look Santi, right now this is official police business. I promise you, that once things are settled we can give an official statement to the public." said Emmett. Santi was placated and he walked away with the camerawoman. Emmett turned to the alien cop and saw her stroking the feathers of an actual hawk that had perched on her shoulder. "Alright, you," said Emmett pointing at Shayera, "Come with me." Shayera followed him to the squad car and balked at the thought of getting in another vehicle as compacted as this. She stopped following Emmett and said, "I'll fly."

"What?" asked Emmett, turning to see her backing away from him.

"I have already been caged in those vehicles, I'd rather fly." explained Shayera. Emmett looked at her in confusion and looked from her to the squad car until comprehension dawned on his face. "You have a fear of small spaces?" he asked. Shayera winced at his question but nodded and said, "I… I'd rather fly please. I promise to follow." Emmett noticed the way her wings twitched in agitation and the slight twitch on her jaw. She was truly afraid.

"Alright then. Follow me." Said Emmett as he hopped in the driver's seat and began the drive towards the police station. Shayera followed behind him, grateful that he understood her fear. Her fear has always been a handicap for her especially when she needed to follow criminals in their hideouts. Her superiors have always tried to help her beat her phobia but it was something that refuses to go away. Shayera and her hawk companion followed Emmett and landed next to the squad car once they reached the station. Shayera could hear the bystanders murmur to each other once they caught a glimpse of her but she paid them no mind and followed Emmett into the Station. Her hawk companion settled his perch outside the police station and stood vigil as people just stared at the sight of the winged heroine and her newly acquired side-kick.

The Police Station was slowly being rebuilt but most of the holes that Cheval had knocked down and the police station was well underway to being rebuilt. Emmett took Shayera up to his office with the new floor and sat down at his desk. Shayera remained standing, not finding comfort in the small office: her wings could touch the ceiling and Shayera felt squeezed in the room, but said nothing out of respect for Emmett.

"Look, I thought we agreed that you were only going to be in search for your artifacts. I don't want you getting involved in police work." said Emmett, feeling tired but wanting to get things done now than later. The idea his wife gave him was still swirling in his head but he didn't want to think about it. "We did agree that I would be on the search for the artifacts. I never agreed however to stand by and allow criminal activity pass by. I am an officer of the law, Commissioner. Please don't forget, I am trained to stop criminals and to ensure justice has been served." argued Shayera, feeling irritated that she needed to explain her actions to him. She is a Captain for crying out loud!

Emmett looked at her with tired eyes. All his years he spent arguing about how vigilantes and the supers were interfering with police work and often times taking justice into their own hands was suddenly going down the drain as his wife's idea was quickly gripping his head. The woman in front of him had respectfully followed his orders and even explained her actions to him very much like an insubordinate will do to their superiors. Emmett looked at the woman—no... _Shayera_ in a new light. Perhaps she might be an asset to the police corps, he just needed to know if she would actually cooperate. After all, she is Captain which is a lower rank than Commissioner.

"Listen, I might have held the wrong impression on you for a while. I am currently considering hiring you officially into the police force, but I need to know though: will you be comfortable taking orders from a superior of another species?" asked Emmett, hoping that whatever powers motivated him to make this decision be a good one. Shayera in her part actually felt shock flash across her face, but with her mask in place Emmett couldn't really see her reaction. She was already following his orders anyways so it never bothered her. Law Enforcement was the same everywhere was it not? To actually be adopted into another police force however might help her gain more trust in the community, though, so Shayera said, "I have no problems whatsoever in respecting your higher rank in the police force. I would love to join the police force."

Emmett smiled an actual sincere smile to her and said, "Alright then. Best we announce it on our terms then." Shayera looked at him in confusion and watched as he reached for a phone and dialed in the buttons.

"Hello? Yeah Jesse, it's Emmett. Listen I need you to organize a press conference in two days. I've decided it's time for Midway City to meet our newest recruit in the Midway City Police Department. Who? Hawkgirl."


	7. The Press

Shayera was nervous. She really shouldn't be but she honestly was. Two days ago, Shayera and Emmett had reached an agreement that she will be a part of his squadron and become an actual member of the Midway City Police Department. She will serve as an officer first because she is technically a new recruit in this planet and she will be taking orders from Emmett, and Emmett only. Shayera would be partnered up with Kendra Saunders, the Commissioner's niece, on certain days during her hunt for the missing blueprints and the Unconfirmed Artifact while on other days she will be partnered up with Commissioner Emmett and patrol the city. Shayera was actually glad to have a semblance of belonging fill her thoughts instead of the depressing and lonely ones that invade her mind.

Shayera was currently standing behind a set of curtains while Commissioner Emmett was addressing the press and the audience. When Shayera first learned that she was going to have to address the public and officially introduce herself to Midway City the night she and Emmett made the arrangements, Shayera needed to talk with someone. After Emmett returned home to rest and Shayera promised to meet with him the next night, she met with her hawk companion and together they flew to Gotham City.

Shayera recalled the routes and roads that led out of Midway and to Gotham so the trip back was faster than the last trip when she had to keep at Gordon's pace. The gothic city loomed into view and Shayera could see the bat signal overhead, signaling Batman and his companions to meet with the Commissioner. Shayera decided to fly towards the mansion and wait for them there. She flew high above the clouds to ensure that she wouldn't be seen and flew below the treetops to reach the secret entrance. Her hawk companion was struggling to catch up so Shayera gently held the hawk in her hands as they flew inside the cave. Once inside, Shayera helped her hawk companion perch on the computer chair and she removed her mask and the Absorbascon.

She walked up the stairs leading inside the mansion and opened the secret panel while she left her hawk friend sleeping on the chair. Shayera heard humming from the kitchen and made her way there. To her delight, Alfred was cooking a meal and her stomach growled again, alerting Alfred of her presence.

"Oh! Miss Shayera! You gave me a fright." said Alfred as he motioned for her to take a seat. Shayera sat in the offered seat and said, "I'm sorry if I frightened you. I would have contacted Bruce with the com-link but I fear I might distract him or the others from their duties."

"A wise choice Miss, he often gets quite the temper when the Lantern or Superman get themselves involved in his businesses." said Alfred as he served Shayera tea and biscuits.

"Lantern?" asked Shayera. "Yes, the Green Lantern. I would have thought you might have heard about them in your areas of Space." explained Alfred as he sat down next to Shayera.

"I guess Thanagar is farther away from your areas of Space since we have never heard about them. Are they accepted here?" asked Shayera as she drank her tea. "I wouldn't know about world-wide popularity, but here in the states he is very much admired. John Stewart I believe his name is." said Alfred.

"He reveals his name so publicly? I would have thought he might have preferred a private life." remarked Shayera.

"Oh he does, Miss. But when you fight crime for as long as he did, eventually people will make connections and then they'll begin to find out the truth." said Alfred.

"Bruce manages fine though." observed Shayera as she recalled all the information the Absorbascon had given to her about Batman and Bruce Wayne.

"Master Bruce tends to multi-task even in his sleep. I often worry for his health however but I can't stop him from doing what he deems as his mission." said Alfred as he got up to grab more tea. Shayera watched him and smiled softly when she heard the obvious affection the elder had for his ward. "I'm sure he'll be fine." reassured Shayera. Alfred turned to give her a warm smile and sat back down with a new batch of hot tea in his hands.

"So may I ask what brings you back to Gotham not even a day later?" asked Alfred as he filled his cup and Shayera's cup with tea.

"I have been given a position in the Midway City Police Department." explained Shayera and watched as surprise flickered across Alfred's face. "They… they recruited you?" asked Alfred, incredulity visible in his voice.

"Yes, Commissioner Emmett plans to introduce me to the city in two days and I wanted… I wanted advice I guess you could say. I agreed to join the force but I am now wondering if maybe I shouldn't. The man they call Cheval had desolated the entire Police Department in Midway and I proved to be the only one capable to stop him. I can see the advantage of having someone like me join the force, but I wonder if maybe I am just making myself a target for more threatening criminals and for the people surrounding me." said Shayera, happy to finally let out her thoughts to someone.

"Hmmm, interesting. I wonder how things might have turned out if Commissioner Gordon employed Batman… well no use going over the what ifs. I believe you have a good opportunity to take Miss. I suggest you take it if you need allies and support. There is no point in having to try doing things solo as Master Bruce tends to enjoy." said Alfred.

"He has the others though." said Shayera.

"He does, but even then he always tends to keep his cards close to himself until the very end at times." remarked Alfred. Shayera nodded her head in understanding and said, "I'm sure he's still learning in the same way I am."

Alfred smiled at her and said, "Believe me Miss Shayera, I suggest you take it. Never mind the target that gets pointed at you because you have already proved to achieve the impossible in handling Byth and the Cheval man I saw in the news." Shayera gave him a toothy grin and said, "Thank you Alfred."

"Anytime my dear. Now, I'm sure you're exhausted. Rest up in the cave and tomorrow morning you can return to Midway and get yourself ready for Midway." said Alfred as he led Shayera back into the cave. It was there that Alfred saw the sleeping hawk and asked, "New friend?"

"Yes, we met in the national park during my investigations and we… bonded over our shared similarities." said Shayera.

"Well it is a lovely fellow. Have you named him?"

"I'm not even sure if it's male or female."

"Well, perhaps you can ask when morning comes and you're both ready to fly the nest."

Shayera smiled at his humor and rested against the chair, being mindful of the hawk and went to sleep. She was sure that when morning comes, she would be feeling a little less anxious.

Alfred left the cave and began to cook for the coming hungry bottomless pit that Master Tim seemed to possess. It took some parts of the early morning, but Alfred was quite happy for the feast he had prepared. After having the food ready on the table he heard the secret panel open up to reveal Masters Tim and Bruce walk in with a sleepy Miss Shayera and an alert hawk perched on her shoulder.

"I'll be assuming our feathered-friend would like their meat cooked rare?" asked Alfred.

"Alfred! That's rude!" said Tim, not believing Alfred would say that about Shayera.

"He's talking about her hawk," said Bruce as he sat down and began to eat a good hefty pile of fruits and milk.

"Oh." said Tim, brightening up red and sheepishly smiled at Alfred, who gave him a single raised eyebrow. Tim quickly filled his plate with bacons, eggs, and toast before Alfred decided he wouldn't get to eat any of the delicious food.

"Would you like to eat?" asked Shayera to her hawk companion. Bruce, Tim, and Alfred watched with interest as the hawk chirped and flew off her shoulder and onto the table. He walked towards the plate of bacon and took a tentative peck. It soon began to rip the bacon pieces apart and swallowed the whole plate.

"Whoa." said Tim, happy that he managed to fill his plate up first. The hawk chirped again and Shayera said, "He would like to thank you Alfred for the delicious meal."

"Anytime."

"Wait, you can talk to birds now?" asked Tim, watching the woman with seemingly endless amounts of talents.

"The Absorbascon seems to help me understand the avian languages, but I have yet to discover why." said Shayera as she ate some of the eggs and toast.

"It could be that your DNA matches closely with the avian, the same way humans and primates seem to have a close matching DNA." explained Bruce. "So you can only talk to birds then?" asked Tim.

"It appears so."

The whole group ate their breakfast in silence up until Bruce asked why she returned to Gotham and not communicated with him through the com-link.

"I arrived in Gotham late at night and had seen the signal Commissioner Gordon lights up in the air for you. I decided to allow you to do your investigation in peace and proceeded to the mansion where I talked with Alfred." said Shayera, hoping that he wouldn't be angry.

"I guess I should thank you for not interrupting my work then. Joker had managed to hold the entire Gotham Rogues under hostage. I nearly didn't make it in time to save the fans and players from the laughing gas bomb they had in the middle of the stadium." said Bruce, eyes narrowing in anger at the thoughts of possible failure.

"It was really cutting it close," said Tim, his voice demanding that Shayera pay attention to him and he began to retell the whole story from beginning to end. It wasn't until Tim began to yawn that Alfred began to clean up the empty plates and escorted Tim upstairs. Bruce looked at Shayera and said, "I read the Midway Times, by the way. You made quite the entrance."

Shayera grimaced at that and said, "I couldn't very well allow that man to kill people. Thank the Seven Heavens that Cheval had only managed to injure them."

"Hmm, at least you made a good impression."

"Which is something I wish to talk to you about."

"You're wondering if your actions will bring more harm than good to the people."

Shayera blinked in surprise at Bruce's words and said, "You understand what I am feeling then?"

Bruce nodded and said, "I have often always thought of the consequences of my actions. Chances are that even if the Batman didn't exist, criminals like Scarecrow and the Joker will continue to exist. It's about what you can do and how you react that really makes the difference. When the situation gets tough, will you collapse under the strain? Or will you achieve to go beyond even your own limits to protect and serve?"

Shayera nodded in understanding at his words. Yes, she is strange in this world and chances are perhaps it will make her a target for many. She is an officer of the law and justice, though. She will protect and serve those in need. She turned to Bruce and said, "Thank you, Bruce."

They smiled and exchanged good-byes as the morning turned to afternoon, and Shayera with the hawk flew back to Midway.

 _I must return back to my nesting grounds. I refuse to have some other fool believe he can have my home in absence._ said the hawk as he flew away from Shayera and made his way towards his nest.

"Thank you for being with me my friend. You have been very helpful." thanked Shayera as she and the hawk parted ways. She was glad to have some alone time as she flew past the buildings of Midway City. Even after all the times that she flew by the same buildings, Shayera is still marveled at the architecture. Below her, Shayera could see several sculptures decorate the lawn outside a building and flew down to investigate it more thoroughly. The sun was still about midway down before it was officially nightfall, so Shayera decided to explore Midway better: starting with the strange sculptures.

She flew down and ignored the people gasping at her sudden arrival and walked towards the sculptures. Several were easy to identify but there were some that truly intrigued her. The whole lawn was decorated with different sculptures so she took the time to look over the art with scrutiny. So far, her favorite was the reflective pill-shaped sculpture that perfectly captured her reflection and the buildings behind her. Shayera could see the humans taking out their cell-phones and taking pictures of her, but she paid them no mind. She continued to walk around the sculptures and found herself surrounded by walking leg statues. She walked through the legs and felt as though she was being crowded, so she quickly walked away from the legs, not wanting a claustrophobic episode. She almost flew away to meet with Commissioner Emmett when a certain sculpture captured her attention.

Shayera walked as though hypnotized in front of a sculpture of a human male made of chains, dragging behind him links of chains. She looked at it with confusion but with interest as well. It was simple but there was something about it that spoke to her. Shayera was so entranced by the sculpture that she missed hearing the pair of footsteps behind her until she heard someone ask her, "What do you see when you look at him?" Shayera turned to see a man and a woman looking at her with curiosity in their eyes. Shayera was confused by what he asked and said, "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

The man gave her a kind smile and said, "People create art to express what they feel inside or what they want people to see about what is around them. What do you see?" Shayera looked back at the Man of Chains and paid more attention to how she was feeling. She could almost feel his struggle as though the chains were dragging him behind. Shayera looked at the man and said, "It looks as though he is struggling."

"What is making him struggle?"

"The chains?"

"Is that all?" Shayera shrugged helplessly. What else could be dragging the man behind aside from chains? Not even the Absorbascon could help her with answering the man. It only gave her vague descriptions about the sculpture and just Various Artists. It seemed it was a collaborative art piece. Shayera glanced helplessly at the man and said, "I-I'm sorry. I still don't understand."

The woman gave her a gentle smile and said, "It's alright honey. Danny just likes to quiz people. He's the Art Curator at the Midway City Museum, so he often asks random people." Shayera gave a shy smile and introduced herself, "My name is Shayera Hol."

"I'm Danny Evans," said the man, extending his hand out for Shayera to shake (which she did), and turned to the woman who introduced herself, "And I'm Mavis Trent." Shayera shook hands with her as well and asked, "Do humans often express their feelings through creativity?"

"Some do, others physically, and some just bottle it up like a certain someone." said Danny nodding his head towards Mavis, who slapped him on the shoulder playfully. Shayera smiled at the easy-going friendship and almost asked more about the sculptures when she noticed the sky turning dark blue for night. "I'm sorry. I have a meeting with someone soon and I cannot be late." she said spreading her wings, ready to launch herself into the sky.

"Oh no problem. It was nice to meet you Shayera." smiled Mavis. Shayera flew away, waving good-bye at Danny and Mavis, and made her way to the Police Headquarters. She landed outside and made her way inside where Commissioner Emmett and a few other officers met her. They spent most of the night talking about the press conference and helped Shayera prepare herself for the meeting with the news reporters. By the time they were finished, Shayera was exhausted and accepted Commissioner Emmett's offer to sleep in his office until morning. Shayera spent the night listening to the city outside and fell asleep anxious for morning. Bruce and Alfred's words echoed through her head and gave comfort through the night so Shayera was able to at least sleep a full four hours before being awakened by Emmett. Emmett escorted Shayera to a van where they both entered and made their way to City Hall.

So after a rather turbulent day and night, here stood Shayera behind curtains and watching nervously as Emmett addressed the sea of reporters and the audience. She nervously felt her wings twitch in agitation and she kept gripping the handle of her mace for comfort. She had spotted Danny, Mavis, Alfred and Commissioner Gordon sitting in the audience and felt her nerves fry up. She took deep breaths and tried to imagine how she might address her fellow Thanagarians back on Thanagar. She felt her heart steady and her breaths stopped coming out as short gasps. She heard Commissioner Emmett say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce Hawkgirl." Shayera took deep breaths and walked out from behind the curtains to be met with applause and lights flashing in front of her as reporters took pictures. Shayera could feel her voice freeze up and she stood rigid for what felt like an hour until Emmett rushed over and said, "I'm sorry, folks. I should have said that now is the time for Question and Answers."

It was as though the spell was broken and Shayera was met with a barrage of questions ranging from: "HAWKGIRL! HAWKGIRL! WHERE ARE YOU FROM? DO YOU KNOW SUPERMAN? ARE YOU HERE AS A FRIEND? WHERE DO YOUR ALLEGIANCES LAY?"

Shayera struggled to try and answer, but where she tried to answer one about three more questions were asked at the same time.

"PEOPLE! PEOPLE! PLEASE! ONE AT A TIME!" yelled Kendra, surprising not only Shayera but also Emmett. When the frenzy died down, Kendra addressed the crowd, "Alright, we'll take questions, but one reporter at a time and three questions." Many hands were raised and Shayera was glad that Kendra began to point out who was to speak first.

A woman stood up and said, "Iris West, Central City News. Are you of Earth or from Space?"

"I am from a distant planet called Thanagar. It is not a part of your solar system, but I do not know where in the Universe it might be." answered Shayera, remembering Emmett's guidance about answering fully to the reporters' questions.

"Who are you? How did you get here?"

"I am a Captain of the Thanagarian Law Enforcements. I was chasing down a criminal when we both entered Hyper Space and problems arose. Long Story short, I am stranded here on Earth with no way to go back home."

"Alright," said Kendra, once again taking over, "Uh, ok. Santi, you're up."

The man from two nights ago rose up from his seated position and said, "Santiago Munoz, of the Channel 5 News. Hawkgirl, will you be cooperating with the Midway City Police Department during your stay here?"

"Yes, Commissioner Emmett and I have entered into an agreement that I will be serving under the Midway City Police."

"You said you were a Captain from your home world, will you also be serving as a captain here?"

"No, I have agreed to start from the bottom as an Officer. It makes sense as I am still familiarizing myself with the Earth's ways of law enforcement."

"What's the difference between Thanagarian Law Enforcement and the Earth's Law Enforcement?"

"Thanagarian Law Enforcement is still a new career for my home world. We used to be a planet of peace, but war has brought crime to our planet and we needed to learn quickly how to contain crime. My parent's generation was the first to begin law enforcement and we are still learning. Based on my research your planet has an extensive history with Law Enforcement and I am honored to be learning it under the guidance of Commissioner Emmett."

It went on for the rest of the hour with Kendra helping Shayera address the crowd and Shayera feeling more confident with herself as she continued to answer the questions. It was when the last reporter asked her question that many people—including Kendra—felt a slight hesitation.

"Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. Hawkgirl, how can we trust you as a defender of justice if you have only stayed on this planet for four days? What happens if you can't handle the levels of crime Earth has to offer? Do you even feel comfortable defending a species that is not your own?"

Shayera honestly felt annoyance at the woman who dared to question her commitment and her dedication to protect and serve. Shayera had to bite her cheek to stop herself from acting out but she hotly said, "I am an officer of the law. I protect and serve everyone and if I have to go beyond my own limits then so be it. I have been trained to serve under justice and I will serve, no matter who it is and no matter what species."

It was silent as everybody could tell that she was offended by Lane's questions, but Lane remained stoic. Kendra began to clap and pretty soon everybody else began to clap. Lois Lane gave a small smirk at Hawkgirl and thought that the alien definitely had spunk to survive this planet. Shayera took deep breaths and looked to see Alfred and Gordon smiling at her and Danny and Mavis amongst the cheering crowd. Shayera turned to give Kendra a small smile and to Emmett a small nod. It definitely was a rocky start for her to officially greet the people of Midway, but she was happy that it turned out all right.

 **Hey readers, thanks so much for the reviews and PMs. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you guys actually find the story interesting.**

 **I feel that I should address certain things for readers who might not have read the comic books. I am planning on mixing elements of the comic books with the DCAU. The art sculptures I actually took out from actual sculptures from Chicago.**

 **Byth Rok: The original criminal that led Hawkman and Hawkgirl to Earth.**

 **Kendra Saunders: She is the New Earth Hawkgirl. She is the reincarnation of the Egyptian Princess, Shayera Hol.**

 **Danny Evans: He is a supporting character of the New Earth Hawkgirl and Hawkman.**

 **George Emmett: The original Commissioner of the Midway City Police Department in the comics**

 **Mavis Trent: A supporting character from the original comics that had a huge crush on Hawkman/Carter Hall and a bit of a rivalry with Hawkgirl/Sarah Hall.**

 **In the original Hawkgirl and Hawkman comics, the Absorbascon was the device that allowed Hawkman and Hawkgirl to learn Earth's languages and to communicate with the avian species. Byth did take a pill that granted him the ability to shapeshift, although the name forever slips my mind.**

 **Thanks again :D you guys make this a fun project**

 **Next Chapter: Shayera integrates to Earthly customs with the help of Kendra.**


	8. Burgers and Eels

_"_ _Take the day off tomorrow, Shayera. It's my ceremony and I want you there." said Hektar as he watched his sister remove her body armor and mask. Shayera smiled down at her little brother and said, "If I take the day off, then who will be there to stop criminals? I promise you, it's a simple patrolling routine. I'll be back before father can break out the flasks and the Plume Nectar." Hektar gave Shayera a toothy grin and flew up towards his room. Shayera smiled warmly as she watched her brother retire to bed. It was a long day and Shayera wanted to rest properly tonight so she wouldn't be tired for her brother's ceremony. She rested against the recliner in front of the fireplace and listened to the fire. She heard her mother and father fly by the window and she turned to see them walk in their home, finished with their work._

 _"_ _My little fledgling." said her mother with warmth in her voice. Shayera hugged her mother and father and they rested in front of the fire._

 _"_ _Will you be taking the day off tomorrow Shayera?" asked her mother. Shayera shook her head and said, "Too many captains are taking the day off tomorrow, I volunteered to take the morning shifts."_

 _"_ _Shayera," scolded her father. "Look, I promise I'll be back home before the ceremony. It's only a patrol." said Shayera, wanting to appease her father. He still held a scowl on his face but nodded his head. Shayera felt her spirit fall a bit after seeing the obvious disappointed in her father's face. She looked at her mother, who nodded her head towards him. Shayera stood up and walked over to her father. With his mask on, her father made a very intimidating figure. Even her own superiors hesitate when they meet with the Head Engineer of the Ulkar Engineering Department, where they design and modify space travel. Without his mask, Shayera can see every wrinkle and the grey hairs that decorate his face. His once burning red hair, much like her own hair, is dulling down as the years pass by. Shayera knelt down in front of her father and urged him to look at her._

 _"_ _I promise. This will be the last time I'll take over shifts during my days off. I will be there tomorrow." said Shayera. Her father smiled at her and hugged her, his large wings enveloping them both. Shayera smiled and heard, "Hawkgirl?"_

 _What?_

Shayera blinked in surprise and looked to her left to see Kendra look at her with worry. "Are you ok? You kind of blanked out for a minute." she asked, watching as Shayera shifted a bit. "Yes, just remembering things." said Shayera. Kendra nodded and decided not to prod further. Even with her mask on, Kendra could tell that she didn't want to talk about it. It has been three months since Shayera had talked to the Press. Shayera kept to her word and served as an officer, patrolling the city and stopping criminals left and right. Shayera quickly gained public favor and many people would often smile and wave at her from their apartment windows if they see her fly by.

Shayera had gotten used to having people walking up to her and wanting to talk. She thanked the Seven Heavens that Kendra was paired up with her, otherwise Shayera would have struggled trying to answer questions and give small talk. The Midway City Police Department were kind enough to work with her, but officers such as Lt. Grubs felt that she will bring out the worst of the city. Commissioner Emmett will defend her though by stating that if she did bring out the worst of Midway, the Police Department will be able to identify and catch the crooks faster. Shayera still hasn't figured out if she should take it as a compliment or not, but she smiled gratefully to Emmett anyways for his intervention.

When she is not patrolling Midway City and was with Kendra, they researched many news articles and interrogated many science departments about the whereabouts of the Unconfirmed Artifact #52 and the Hyper Bypass Blueprints. When that failed, Shayera and Kendra would often investigate many blogs, websites, and even companies in case someone just happened to pick up the items. Interrogating Byth was out of the question when Shayera received news from Bruce about his death. It seemed that Byth had attempted to steal the heart of a prisoner named Bane, who promptly tore Byth to pieces… or at least that's the initial report. So far, no pieces have been found of Byth except the Life-Enhancer which made Shayera believe that Byth is either alive and on the run or Bane had disposed of the pieces before bragging about it.

Today Shayera and Kendra were taking a break from their search. Three months of endless searching could really tire anyone out. Shayera and Kendra were currently on top of the Police Headquarters, just watching the city landscape.

Kendra sighed as she took in the sight of Midway. It was a small big city and many maps often overlook it. Even Google forgot to add the city in at one point. Kendra would guess that it's because the city is the most isolated from the other cities in Illinois. Separating Midway from the rest of the world is the Midway National Park that stretches for about 1200 square miles. Then comes Gotham and then Coast City who bring in tourism like no other. The arrival of Hawkgirl and becoming an official member of the Midway Police Department has actually brought in more tourism than ever before. Kendra was even bombarded by friends and acquaintances that knew her, asking questions about her partnership with her. It got to the point where her Uncle Emmett had to install more security alarms around the house and even instructed Shayera to protect Kendra from reporters.

Tourism though was the big deal at the moment. People from Gotham and Coast City would come to see the daylight hero that often contrasted with the current Earthly Heroes such as Batman and the Flash. The mysteriousness of Batman is enough to bring people from all over the world who want to get at least a glimpse of the Dark Knight while everybody knows the Flash as the friendliest and most talkative of heroes. When tourism began to come in Mavis Trent, Curator of the Midway City Museum offered the attic of the museum as a home to Hawkgirl. The museum has been filled with people going in and out daily, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new hero who was always seen flying around and helping stop crime and keep the city safe.

Kendra was feeling frustrated that they were never getting any leads as to where the items may be. When Shayera had informed her that four of the six had been discovered and located then it should have been easy looking for the last two. She was wrong however when their searches proved fruitless. Kendra doubted that even Batman, the World's Greatest Detective, could find the items. Kendra looked over to see her partner just glancing at the sky. Even with her mask on, Kendra can sense the melancholy spirit in her. Kendra began to throw ideas around and said, "Hey! Since we're taking the time off, how about we explore Midway?"

"But we already know Midway." said Shayera, not quite understanding. It was true though that they both now know the city very well during their time searching through the city. Kendra discovered new bars and restaurants that she was sure Aunt Alice will love and Shayera had mapped out possible locations to criminal activities, informing Commissioner Emmett of the locations. So far they had managed to expose a human trafficking ring and stop a delivery of over $100,000 worth of cocaine from being smuggled into the city.

"No, I mean like... you know actually see the city. Like, let's go to the museum! Have you seen the exhibits?" asked Kendra. When Shayera shook her head, Kendra smiled and said, "See? You can experience human culture first hand today instead of having to rely on that mini computer under the helmet." Shayera had to admit that it was a good idea and she really was interested in experiencing the human culture rather than obtaining knowledge about it. Shayera flared her wings a bit and said, "Ok. Lead the way." It didn't take long for them to reach the museum, as it was only about four blocks away from the police department. Shayera easily flew above the buildings and kept her vision on Kendra and her surroundings, keeping an eye out for any form of trouble. Emmett had given Shayera her own walkie-talkie to communicate with any active duty officers. If Shayera deems it worthy to interfere then she will strike first before calling for reinforcement.

At the entrance to the museum, people leaving and entering were suddenly snapping pictures at the sight of Hawkgirl landing on the front steps of the museum. Shayera would have made a bee-line straight into the museum to avoid the flashes when a small girl stood in front of her and asked, "Excuse me! Are you an angel?"

Shayera blinked in confusion until the Absorbascon provided her images and information about angels and archangels. She looked at the little girl in front of her and said, "Do you think I'm an angel?" The little girl nodded her head and reached her hand out towards her wings. Shayera knelt down and flared her wings a bit and allowed the little girl to run her hand over the feathers. Shayera smiled at the little girl and she smiled back, running back to her mother excitedly. The mother gave Shayera a warm smile and they left the museum, leaving Shayera behind smiling and following Kendra into the museum.

"Ok, so what's the basic history of the Earth that you know of so far?" asked Kendra as they made their way to Mavis's office. "A basic timeline is all I know. I know of important events that have defined your planet's history and your country's history. I don't know it all though, if I tried to absorb all the information at once you'd have to be visiting me in the hospital." said Shayera. Kendra gave her an appraised look and knocked on the door. A muffled "hold on" responded on the other side and they waited until Mavis opened the door and smiled and asked, "Oh! Are you done for the day, ladies?"

"Yes, Miss Trent. I was actually going to help Shayera get integrated with our Earthly customs." said Kendra as they walked towards the main lobby. "That's a brilliant idea! Let's go downstairs and get started." said Mavis as she went back inside her office and grabbed coat before leaving and locking the door. Shayera hung back a little and allowed them to lead the way, wondering about what they were going to do for the day. Kendra and Mavis led the way to the fast food restaurant, Big Belly Burgers, and Shayera had to endure another session of people muttering around her and taking pictures. Shayera wished she had her Absorbascon on her head, but she promised Kendra that she will experience the moment and receive it as a surprise. Shayera honestly would be irritated with the amount of pictures and proximity people make to get closer to her, but her promise to Commissioner Emmett and Bruce to reign in any emotion that might be considered threatening to the people of Earth. Shayera is pretty sure that her level of hotheadedness might cause problems instead of resolving them, so she would bottle it up until it was her time off and fly towards the National Park where she will beat a couple of boulders to dust. Shayera followed her two friends to a booth large enough for her wings and waited for them as they left to order the food. The smell of grease and sodium filled her nose and she almost sneezed at the strong smell of burning oil passing by her. She looked to see an overweight man with a tray full of greasy looking sandwiches and yellow sticks. Shayera felt nervous and almost had the urge to bolt when she saw Kendra and Mavis make their way towards her. Shayera calmed her nerves and accepted the sandwich and yellow sticks ("This is called a cheeseburger and fries," explained Mavis) from Kendra.

She watched Mavis and Kendra begin to eat their food and reached out to grab her sandwich. Shayera was intrigued at how the food tastes once it is prepared. For the last three months, she had been hunting for her food and would often consume them raw, as she wanted to respect the laws that were installed in the National Park. She could have used the fire pits that were provided for visiting campers, but Shayera has had enough of enduring conversations with strangers and having to answer an endless amount of questions. She watched Kendra and Mavis watching her and she felt a little shy. She took a tentative bite out of the burger and immediately wanted to spit it out. The amount of grease and oil was enough for Shayera to feel her gag reflex react very violently. She pushed the feeling away though and swallowed the food and said, "Delicious." The three continued eating with Kendra and Mavis often talking about the different types of food that (at least in American terms) is available for Shayera to try. Shayera swallowed down the whole burger and fries, ignoring the feelings to regurgitate the whole meal. It didn't help that when Kendra offered the soda to Shayera that the carbon dioxide immediately went up Shayera's nose, causing her to choke on the drink. After many apologies from Kendra, they left the restaurant and made their way to the park. Shayera continued to ignore her upset stomach and flew ahead of the two as they leisurely took the scenic route.

Once at the park, Shayera searched for a private place and promptly threw up. She was thankful that the park was half-empty as she tumbled to the pond and quickly scooped up some water to rinse her mouth and clean her face. She was thankful that none of her vomit had hit her mask or armor as cleaning those would be frustrating. She might have been fine having Bruce and his family to see her without her mask (they saved her life after all) but she was uncomfortable with having her mask off near her new human friends, as they are not family. When Kendra and Mavis arrived at the park, Shayera was feeling better at no longer having the greasy foods in her stomach. These humans may be fragile outwardly but they must hold incredible immune systems to be able to hold such greasy and oily substances in their stomachs.

"Alright Shayera, here is the perk about parks. People would often spend their time just hanging out and sometimes we have the community play-offs," explained Kendra as they walked alongside the pond. Shayera asked many questions regarding sports and competitions, how humans would spend their leisure time, more questions on foods, and finally by the end of the day Kendra and Mavis took Shayera to a Chinese restaurant. Once again the smell of oil and grease filled Shayera's nose but this time it was toned down by a more exotic smell. Many people of the restaurant stopped in their routine to stare at Shayera, who meekly waved her hand in greeting.

Once again, Shayera wished she had her Absorbascon on when exotic foods were on display and Shayera desperately wanted to avoid another vomiting episode. "What would you like to eat Shayera?" asked Mavis. Shayera looked up at the menu and said, "Eel heads?"

"Ew, why would you want that? Why not Orange Chicken." suggested Kendra. Shayera took one look at the Orange Chicken and after seeing and smelling the similarities between the burger and the fries said, "Perhaps next time." Mavis ordered the food and the three ladies sat down in another booth, waiting for their order.

"How did you enjoy the park Shayera?" asked Mavis.

"It was pleasant. I only ever flew above it during my patrols but I have yet to experience it fully the way I did today. It was… relaxing." said Shayera, recalling her memory. Shayera regretted not taking her days off back in Thanagar and fully relaxing with her family. When she returns home, it is going to be the first thing she will be doing. "So how'd you like the burger and fries? I never asked about it when we left and you flew away before I could ask." asked Kendra.

Shayera almost grimaced at the memory of her vomiting episode and smiled gratefully when their food was served. Three plates full of strange foods stirred Shayera's curiosity and she began asking about each and every one about them. Mavis passed out plates and Shayera took a small amount from each serving. "Here, Shayera. These are your eel heads." said Kendra, passing a small bowl filled with fried skinny heads towards Shayera. Shayera smelled a good amount of grease and oil in the heads and regretted asking for it, as she was enjoying the taste of the mandarin chicken and the chow mien. Shayera took a tentative bite out of the eel and was soon eating them at a rapid pace. The fried part was not so great, but it was what was underneath the friend skin that made it even tastier. Kendra and Mavis watched in a mixture of fascination and amusement as Shayera finished eating all of the eel heads. When Shayera learned she had an audience, she meekly said, "I'm sorry, did you wanted some?"

"No, girl. It was all yours." said Kendra as she finished eating her food. By nighttime, Kendra left for home and Mavis and Shayera made their way to the museum. "I hope you enjoyed your day Shayera. I don't remember having this much playing host." said Mavis.

"I had a wonderful time Mavis. It has been a long time since I could actually take a break. My mother often said I should have joined Thanagar's Military Program instead of the Law Enforcement Program." said Shayera, again feeling the pang of loneliness hit her. "Well I am glad to have spent it with you. God only knows how much hours I put into the museum and with the increase of attendance I could feel myself getting pushed over the edge. I have you to thank though, the museum was running out of money and we needed attendance to increase if we were to keep it open." said Mavis. Shayera gave her a warm smile and said, "Thank you for providing a home for me. I honestly would have spent my days sleeping in the trees like an actual hawk." They both laughed and bade each other goodnight.

Shayera flew up to the balcony that was provided for her to land and enter into her home. She was told that for an attic, it was honestly a spacious room. The old artifacts that used to clutter around the room were moved to storage and it gave Shayera the wing room she needed to not feel claustrophobic. She had a hammock in the middle of the room along with several bookcases filled with random books ranging from cookbooks to children books. Shayera made sure to check that the doors were locked and that her walkie-talkie was still on. She can hear many officers reporting in petty crime that doesn't need her attention and she began to remove her body armor. Shayera had on her tracksuit that had been gifted to her by Barbara Gordon, who insisted that she have comfortable clothing underneath her armor. Shayera had many clothes in a chest that was kept to the back of the room, and she often visited the river to clean them when she had the time. Once Shayera was comfortable, she laid down on the hammock and used her wings as a blanket. She could hear cars rushing by as the city continued to remain awake, and she rocked herself to sleep, using her mace, which was always kept at her side for any possible danger. She closed her eyes and thoughts of her family flooded her mind, hoping that somehow she will be able to return home. It seemed unlikely however as the evolution of human technology seemed to stand at a standstill. She hoped that Bruce would be able to provide help with his company's technological branch. As Shayera drifted to sleep, her last thought was of the stories she was going to tell to her family when she gets back home.

 **Hello readers, this is the last chapter of Shayera's integration as Hawkgirl and the next chapter will be a time skip of five years where (YAY) she joins the Justice League. At this point, I would like to hear from you guys if there is anything that you would like to read and I will do my best to incorporate it into the story. Thanks so much for the support and leave reviews/opinions of the chapter. I know it's short but I have a family outing so until next week, have fun** **J**


	9. A Lot can Happen in Five Years

_One Year Later: Of Lions and Hawks_

Shayera flew above Midway City and surveyed the horizon that made the National Park. A year had passed since she arrived on Earth. Shayera continued to be the hero of Midway City and has made it into one of the safest places of America. Her brute and heavy-hitting fighting techniques have made her infamous in the criminal underworld. Her armor gave her an intimidating appearance and the face behind the mask has been the subject between many conversations. Kendra had a fun time showing Shayera the many sketches people have made of her and several came close to figuring out her actual appearance. The hunt for the Unconfirmed Artifact #52 and the Hyper Bypass Blueprints continued to elude them for too long that Shayera and Kendra had focused most of their attentions away from their initial mission and began to serve as actual police officers full time. Shayera had once again earned the rank of Captain in the Police Force and continued to serve the city.

Her mace however earned a title as being one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet. The one time a thug got his hands on her mace, he was electrocuted to death on the spot. Many investigations were made on her mace and it was revealed that Thanagarians have a high tolerance for electricity and the mace was a conductor that went beyond the possible 200,000-mili amps. When Shayera was questioned, she explained that as long as the mace was in her hand then she was able to control the level of amps that was constantly flowing through the mace. If she was nowhere near it, then chances are the current will be too deadly for any one to try and get a grip on. The only reason Bruce was able to hold the mace was because when Shayera had the mace in her hand the first night on Earth, she had the setting low that allowed him to grip the mace. It didn't help that the United States Government wanted to grab hold of her mace, but Shayera had patiently explained that her mace was to be used to protect and serve, never to be used as a weapon of destruction.

Shayera remembered the time she met Lex Luthor, a 'benevolent' businessman who offered her millions of dollars in exchange for the chance to study the mace for a whole month. Shayera agreed only if the money was to be donated to the Midway City Police Department, the General Hospital, and the Museum. Once the deal had been made, Shayera relinquished her mace for the month. When it was returned, she could recall the sour look on Luthor's face when he returned it. As it turned out when Bruce informed her later, Luthor had attempted to use the mace on Superman. While the mace proved to successful against Superman, Luthor could do nothing else with it aside from conducting the electricity to Superman. He had tried to recreate the weapon but Shayera always kept the elements of Nth metal a secret from everybody. Trying to dismantle the weapon proved to be deadly even with the use of machines, so Luthor was forced to return it to Hawkgirl as part of the agreement.

Shayera had spent the past year on Earth trying to assimilate with the people, but her homesickness often caused her to become reclusive and silent to all except to her friends. She recalls the many invitations she had received from Tim to come over to the mansion and she spent her evenings with him watching movies and helping him train along with Barbara and Dick. Shayera would occasionally join Bruce on missions out of Midway and Gotham. She would often spend more time with Kendra and Emmett during her patrols and had even met Emmett's wife and Kendra's aunt, Alice. The kind woman was delighted when Shayera showed fluency in the Spanish language and Shayera always made sure to greet the woman with an ' _Hola_ '.

Shayera would often think of her younger brother Hektar and often fantasized about his possible future. She recalled many memories and she would often sink into a deep level of depression as she thought of her parents, who no doubt had probably lit a funeral pyre for her as the year had passed. Shayera still dreams of the day when she will be able to return home. Would her family still be the same? Has she changed? It really was difficult to say about the amount of changes that might have happened to her. For the past year, Shayera learned more about law enforcement than Thanagar could hope to learn. Shayera dreams of the day where she would be able to help her home planet and make life at least a bit easier to live at home while the war goes on… or at least Shayera thinks it is still going on.

Shayera was still hovering over the city when she heard her walkie-talkie blare to life and heard Commissioner Emmett order, "Bank Robbery in progress. Be advised, Lion Mane is in the vicinity, proceed with caution. Possible hostages may be in play." Shayera flared her wings and dove down in the direction of the bank. Lion Mane was an adversary that Shayera had the misfortune of five months ago. One of the leading archeologists of the Midway City Museum, Edward Dawson, had come across a mystical meteor that had converted him into a lion-human hybrid. Shayera had a hell of a time taking him down and it took a couple of blows to the head that knocked Ed Dawson unconscious and taken to prison owned by a government branch called ARGUS. Shayera arrived at the scene to see gunned goons shooting at the parked police officers and she quickly dove down in the middle of the firefight facing the goons. She had her mace charged and slammed it into the ground, creating an electric current towards the goons. They fell unconscious after getting blasted off their feet and officers ran towards them, handcuffing them while paramedics surveyed the damage. Shayera was positive that the only damage done to them would be easily recoverable. Shayera turned to the bank and walked inside. "Hawkgirl! Wait!" she heard Commissioner Gordon yell out.

"What is it sir?" she asked.

"Lion Mane has about five hostages inside. Two Bank Tellers and three security guards." informed Emmett.

"What would you have me do?" she asked, worried that time might pass before Lion Mane decided that he had no use for hostages.

"We're sending you in with Detective Grubs. We need to proceed with caution on this. He's taken the hostages to the safe and we don't know more from what the security cameras could feed us." said Emmett as he gestured for Detective Grubs to move forward. Shayera greeted the detective with a nod and said, "Let's go."

They walked into the bank cautiously and heard whimpers coming from behind the teller's desks. "So, Hawkgirl," said Detective Grubs as they slowly walked in, careful not to make a sound, "You're often partnered up with Detective Saunders. Do you happen to know what restaurant she likes?" Shayera glanced at his nervous posture and could tell that he was trying to lighten up the tension. It was no secret to her that Detective Grubs and Kendra shared similar feelings of affection for each other and Shayera had promised not to say a word to Emmett until Kendra and Grubs were comfortable enough in their budding relationship. As far as Shayera could tell on Earth customs, they have yet to have an official courtship. Shayera was almost envious at the affection the two had for each other. She could recall her childhood friend Hro who she once believed would have made a suitable husband, but their career choices drifted them apart to friendly acquaintances until they were complete strangers the last time they met.

They walked further into the bank and Grubs signaled to her to be ready for an attack as they approached the closed door. Shayera gripped her mace and they slowly opened the door. Lion Mane stood there glaring at the newcomers; his feline head and hands were the first physical attributes to notice. Ed Dawson was once a handsome man, but after his encounter with the meteor he was more animal than man. Dawson's first attempt to murder innocent people was also his last before Shayera intervened. People were injured but none had died, luckily. His eyes though were what unnerved Shayera. The first time she faced him, his eyes were animals. Right now, Shayera could see his eyes were now more human but… there was something else in there.

"Edward Dawson. This is the Midway City Police Department. I hereby place you under arrest for kidnapping and robbery." said Detective Grubs as he moved forward with his gun pointed at Lion Mane. Shayera noticed that Lion Mane was on the other side of the room while the hostages were huddled in a corner on the other side, away from Lion Mane. Shayera hid her confusion behind her mask and walked between the hostages and Lion Mane, wanting to be safe than sorry. Lion Mane's eyes had followed her as she walked between him and the hostages, unnerving Shayera on the inside but she remained cool on the outside. Detective Grubs continued to keep his gun on Lion Mane while he gestured to the hostages to the door. The frightened people ran out of the room and only Detective Grubs, Hawkgirl, and Lion Mane remained. Lion Mane remained standing, not ever moving except for his eyes that remained fixated on Shayera.

Detective Grubs noticed Lion Mane's fixation and could see from Hawkgirl's grip on her mace, she was unnerved. "Alright, Dawson. Place your hands above your head and we are going to walk out of here quietly and calmly." Lion Mane refused to move though, but Shayera noticed his eyes immediately slitting into a feral look. Shayera only had seconds to react and swiftly stood between Detective Grubs and Lion Mane, who had launched with surprising speed at Grubs. Shayera charged her mace and knocked Lion Mane back into the wall. Lion Mane quickly sprung back up with his feline reflexes and flipped over Shayera. He made a grab at Grubs, who opened fire at the Meta and signaling to all other officers outside to be prepared. Shayera grabbed Lion Mane's mane and threw him against the wall opposite of Grubs.

"GET OUT!" she screamed at Grubs, who ran out of the building intent to inform Emmett to get the forces ready. Shayera knocked Lion Mane again back as he attempted to charge at her. He had managed to grab onto her wing armor and he pulled her with him as they broke through the wall. They landed outside the building in an alley. Shayera unfortunately landed on her wings, causing pain to shoot up to her head and blinding her vision. Shayera could hear in the distant Emmett shouting orders and ordering his officers to keep bystanders back. She heard Lion Mane get up and quickly got up, only to be knocked against the wall.

"You bitch," snarled Lion Mane, "Five months in that hell hole. I had to put up with idiots who dare order me around. I am a god! I have been to more sites in this world than any other man in this world! I deserved more than the shoddy recognition that has been handed to me! And now I have the power to receive the right that has been mine!"

"You tried to kill innocent people for the sake of your blood lust," said Shayera as she dodged his swing, "You deserve nothing but the punishment that was handed to you." She backhanded him across the face and with her talon hands she managed to blind him in one eye. He cried out in pain and began to swing wildly, trying to hit Shayera. She managed to dodge most of his swings and tried to retaliate but her arm was suddenly in the mouth of Lion Mane. Shayera was thankful for the armor as his fangs only managed to dent the armor, but not pierce it. He tried to bite her again but Shayera sent her mace straight into his face, knocking him down. Shayera charged her mace and began to knock him back towards the police line, where she could see Grubs and Emmett getting the tranquilizers out. Shayera managed to knock Lion Mane in the middle of the police line where they immediately opened fire. Shayera could see at least a dozen tranquilizers attached to Lion Mane, who began to limp around in haze. Shayera kept her eyes on him, ready for anything but he fell to the ground with a snore and was out-cold.

Shayera relaxed from her battle stance as officers began to secure Lion Mane in special handcuffs and she heard the sound of a helicopter nearby. She looked up to see the words ARGUS painted on the side and when the helicopter landed, heavily armored soldiers stormed out and took Lion Mane away from police hands. They loaded him into the helicopter while an African American woman walked her way towards Commissioner Emmett. Shayera did her best to blend in to the background; she always felt uneasy wherever this woman was concerned. After all, Shayera heard many stories revolving around Amanda Waller from Bruce, who seemed to be on a sort of rivalry with the government woman.

"I would like to thank you for capturing Lion Mane for us. I was about to call in for more backup in the event that we arrived too late." said Waller as she shook hands with Emmett. "No problem ma'am, just wanting to minimize the damage." said Emmett. The two started to discuss future cooperation together when Shayera spotted the Kendra breaking through the police line and embracing Grubs, earning catcalls from nearby officers and bystanders. Shayera blinked in surprise at her open display of affection right in front of her uncle, who had turned to see the commotion. Shayera turned to see Emmett turning red in the face and had to detain her smile at the comical display. Shayera could see Amanda Waller leaving with the ARGUS agents and she decided to fly away now before she had to witness Emmett's meltdown. Tonight was far from a peaceful night, but it ended well and Shayera was ready to call it a good night.

 _Two Years since Crash-Landing: Electric vs. Flight and Words Beyond the Grave_

Shayera honestly couldn't tell where to go. At the moment, the high-speed chase in the city ended up taking her to the National Park, where a woman with electrical abilities had just managed to rob the Midway City National Bank and had made an attempt on Emmett's life while escaping. This woman who goes by the name of Livewire, who was a native of Metropolis, had robbed the Midway Bank because she thought she could take on Hawkgirl instead of Superman. Shayera took offense that this woman thinks that Hawkgirl was a pushover and immediately went on the offensive once she had set her sights on her. Of course, that was before she experienced first hand Livewire's abilities. Shayera wasn't as a effected by Livewire's electrical bursts, but the power behind the energy was enough to slow Shayera down during their fight in the bank.

Shayera had managed to push the fight outside the bank where Livewire dropped the money and made her escape through the telephone wires that were spread out across the city. Livewire had discharged a large burst of electricity towards Emmett and Shayera only had time to use her body as a shield and absorbed the blast. The power was enough to make Shayera grunt in pain even through her armor.

"Are you all right?" she asked Emmett.

"Yes! Hawkgirl, get her before she breaks out of the city and we lose her!" said Emmett.

She quickly took to the skies to follow the energy light that was Livewire. Shayera used her mace as a conductor and had managed to protect many citizens who were minding their own business from Livewire's attacks. Shayera used her mace to slowly drain Livewire of her own energy and it got to the point where Livewire had to resort to stealing a car in order to make her escape out of the city. Shayera followed Livewire into the National Park, but found to her disadvantage that Livewire hid beneath the trees while Shayera flew over it.

Now here she was on the ground, attempting to track the runaway convict and take her to jail or at the very least the ARGUS agents who were often present during times of the meta-humans violence. Shayera studied the ground carefully and discovered footprints leading deeper into the park where Shayera found herself surrounded by a thicket of trees. She looked up to see the night sky had turned into pitch darkness as the tree branches and leaves were thick enough to blot out the moonlight and the stars. Shayera cautiously proceeded to follow the tracks and managed to make out the luminous blue glow that seemed to associate with Livewire. Shayera gripped her mace and made her way towards the light. She tried her best to make soft footsteps and slowly turned around the corner of the tree to find Livewire attempting to find direction.

"Livewire," called out Shayera, "Turn yourself in now peacefully and we can avoid further violence."

"You must be pretty stupid if you think I'm going to turn myself in peacefully," said Livewire as she faced Shayera and began to charge up, "I've heard stories about you and I don't think you're so tough."

"Clearly you must have believed the lies then because if I wasn't as tough as you perceived me to be, then you wouldn't have run away." said Shayera, gripping her mace. Livewire snarled and let out an energy burst that knocked Shayera off her feet but she quickly regained her footing and moved her mace to absorb the blast. With every electric blast Livewire made, she was slowly losing energy and she knew it. It got to the point where Livewire made one last desperate blast, that Shayera was blinded for a few seconds at the intensity of light and electricity that was thrown in the air. Shayera felt her mace vibrate at the amount of energy it was absorbing and even she had a hard time resisting the electricity.

When things calmed down and she regained her vision back, Shayera remained standing while Livewire was on the floor unconscious. Shayera quickly examined Livewire and was relieved to find her still breathing. She looked around the area and found that Livewire made serious damages to the trees and cliffs that surrounded them. She leveled the area about a good mile long and scorch marks were testimony that trees had once stood in the area. Shayera grimaced at the sight, hoping that her avian friends were nowhere near the mile-long blast. Shayera had quickly made allies with the avian species that lived in the National Park and they have often proved to be wonderful allies as they helped her spy and track on criminals whenever they were in the city.

Shayera gently grabbed Livewire's arm and slung it over her neck, carrying Livewire as though she were weightless. Shayera flapped her wings and took up into the sky and looked back on the ground briefly to spot a flash of metal underneath the dirt. Shayera nearly landed to investigate but remembered that she was carrying an unconscious criminal that needed to be returned to prison. She flew back to the direction of Midway City and decided to investigate later. The area wouldn't be too difficult to locate again as Shayera has often flew over it during her breaks and recognized it as one of the most isolated places in the park. Not even the park rangers ventured into that part of the park. Shayera was thankful when the city came into view and flew faster to greet Emmett, who was waiting for her along with another group of officers that were not of Midway or of ARGUS.

"Hawkgirl, these men are from Stryker's Island Penitentiary," said Emmett as he introduced Shayera to the group of armed men, "They are here to collect a certain escaped convict." Shayera gently Livewire over to the medical of the men and after deeming Livewire properly well, just exhausted, they made their leave back to Metropolis."

"They seemed to be in such a hurry." remarked Shayera, as she watched them speed away from Midway City. Emmett actually chuckled and said, "I made a bet with the gentlemen that you would return unharmed from your fight. They seemed to believe that no one else aside from Superman could escape unscathed from Livewire."

"Livewire made the same assumption earlier. I never really made further research into this Superman. Who is he?" asked Shayera. Emmett shrugged and said, "Can't really tell you much. Only thing the world knows is that he was brought here from Krypton and—"

"KRYPTON?" yelled Shayera as she felt her wings flare in agitation. She felt nervous and tense as she thought of a Kryptonian living in the same planet that she's stranded on.

"Yeah, what's the matter?"

"You let a Kryptonian in your planet?"

"Well it hardly seems like anyone can do anything-"

"Kick him out! Kryptonians are conquerors and enslavers! They almost conquered Thanagar during our times of peace had it not been for the Tamaranians."

"Listen, Shayera. I'm pretty sure he's not going to conquer the whole world. As far as I can remember, I think he admitted to being the last of his kind." explained Emmett, wanting her to calm down. She looked caged and terrified. Shayera listened to Emmett and said, "How long has he been on this Earth?"

"He claims to have been sent here as a baby and was raised to be an honest citizen."

"I don't believe him."

"Neither do I, but so long as he stays in Metropolis, then I'm fine."

"Do… do you still want me here even with your beliefs on unique individuals?"

"I hold my feelings when it comes to vigilantes and heroes who think they know better than the cops. You're all right in my books, Shayera, because you actually do things by the book and if you feel that a certain course is better, you actually acknowledge your superiors and wait until you're given the green light."

Shayera gave him a grateful smile and said, "Thank you."

Emmett gave her a genuine smile and said, "Anytime, Shayera. By the way, Alice wants me to invite you over to dinner. Please come over, I don't want to be sitting there in the silence if Grubs comes over."

"You certainly proved to be quite rational over Kendra's new courtship with Grubs." remarked Shayera.

"It's not a courtship. They are just seeing each other." grumbled Emmett. Shayera gave him a small pitying smile at his reaction to his niece dating one of his detectives, but she nodded her agreement. It was on their way to the police station that Shayera was reminded of the flash of metal in the National Park.

"Emmett, is there anything unique about the National Park?" she asked.

"Nothing much. That park is actually a pretty recent national landmark. I think it's been declared a landmark after the Doom Patrol went out of commission." said Emmett, not noticing Shayera still as the Absorbascon filled her head of information about the Doom Patrol: a superhero team that met their demise in 1968.

"The Doom Patrol took shelter in Midway?" asked Shayera. Emmett scoffed and said, "From the stories my father told me, they never once stepped foot in Midway. They were often more concerned with villainous affairs outside the city. We just knew they were here by the apparent fights they took outside the city." Shayera could feel her eyebrows raise at this new information. A Superhero team? One that consisted of more than two unique humans working together?

"What happened to them?" she asked.

"My father never really told me what happened. It's just… one day people realized that the Doom Patrol was no longer around Midway and that's that. Life moved on." said Emmett. Shayera took his words in consideration and decided to investigate the park tomorrow after her shift with Kendra. She followed Emmett to his home where she recounted her fight with Livewire in Spanish to Alice, who listened with extreme interest while Emmett glowered at the cowering Grubs throughout dinner.

By the time it was evening the next day, Shayera investigated the site of the battle from yesterday. She touched the metal ground and lightly tapped it. The hollow echo signaled to Shayera that the ground beneath her might hold a secret tunnel… great. Shayera raised her mace high above her head and with a cry, smashed the ground below her. To her great surprise, she landed in a spacious hallway. Shayera looked around to see electrical units damaged over time and upon closer inspection, she recognized battle scars all along the hallways, signaling that a massive battle had taken place within these hallways. Shayera turned the mace on its lowest setting so the electric current could light the hallway up and not interfere with the damage circuitry. Shayera walked down the hallway where the battle scars became more violent and she stopped in front of a door. Shayera could see that whatever battle had taken place in this secret hideout it was quite possibly the final battle.

Shayera took a deep breath and smashed the door down. She felt her wings shudder and the blood drain from her face as she stood in the remains of the final battle. Skeletons decorated the floor and Shayera spotted several of them missing heads or other limbs. She carefully walked around the skeletons and observed the room. There were only four skeletons with purple and black uniforms and the rest were wearing battle armor. Shayera looked around again to spot a robotic humanoid with a gaping hole in its chest. She looked inside it to see melted wires and circuitry, ensuring that this robot never booted back up. Shayera looked to see a computer panel that wasn't damaged and walked over to it. She hit the keypad a couple of times until the computer blared to life. Shayera looked at the screen to see that only a voice recording was left on the desktop and she moved the small mouse to open it.

 _"Hello? Testing… testing. All right. This is The Chief of the Doom Patrol and I'll be logging in behalf of the team one last final time. Our mission to prevent the Brotherhood of Evil from creating a black hole above Midway City has been fulfilled, but unfortunately we have brought their wrath upon us for what might possibly be the final time. I am with Mento, Robotman 2.0, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man and we are barricaded in our lounge, awaiting the final assault from the last living member of the Brotherhood, General Immortus. The evil genius has managed to escape our trans-dimensional dislocator and is currently hacking into our system. We managed to lose them in our maze, but for how long we cannot say. We don't regret our decision in interfering with the Brotherhood of Evil. We knew what we were getting ourselves into and we face our fate with heads held high and a determination to end this once and for all. This is the Doom Patrol signing out one final time... Good-Bye."_

Shayera felt tears run down her face as she heard the last brave words of the leader of the team. Shayera looked around again to see that the purple-black uniformed skeletons were the doomed members. She spotted two skeletons holding hands with each other and silently mourned for them. A skeleton wrapped in bandages caught her vision and she gently grabbed it and laid it down next to the other skeletons. The skeleton in the wheelchair, the Chief, was wheeled next to his fallen comrades. Shayera moved the remains of Robotman 2.0 and made sure he was near his team members. Shayera looked at the fallen heroes and mourned for them but felt a sense of wonderment for them as well. These five unique individuals faced their final hours together without falling apart and Shayera felt humbled to be in their presence. An idea formed in Shayera's head and she quickly left the underground fortress and flew up into the night sky towards Midway City.

Mavis was beyond thrilled when Shayera had recounted her discovery to her. Mavis immediately grabbed all available archeologists, volunteers, and curators to help her and Hawkgirl. It took many weeks and generous donations by one Bruce Wayne to successfully build and create a new exhibition at the Midway City Museum: The Doom Patrol, Midway's First and Finest Heroes. It was the biggest opening to any exhibit that ever happened to Midway City. Not only did it bring tourists from all around, but it also attracted the attention of many current heroes. Shayera made sure to avoid the crowds, not feeling comfortable at being surrounded by many people. She hid up in the attic and waited until the Museum closed for the night and crept down to get her own private tour.

The exhibit was large and spacious, exhibiting many of the retro technology that the Doom Patrol used during their days of heroism. Shayera looked at the display case that exhibited the Doom Patrols uniforms, restored in their former glory. Shayera remembered asking Mavis to place the uniforms of Elasti-Girl and Mento together, not wanting to separate the couple even after death. Robotman 2.0's exterior shell was put on display next to the uniforms of the human members of the Doom Patrol. The Doom Patrol's skeletons were laid to rest in a large mausoleum in the Midway City Cemetery, where many visitors often laid flowers in respect to the fallen heroes. Shayera looked at the photo of the Doom Patrol that she had found in one of the offices of the Underground fortress. They were a youthful bunch and looked like they easily got along. She smiled sadly at the picture and walked back to her home, hoping within her that she can protect this city with the same ferocity they did.

 _Three years since Crash-landing: Mobsters and Marriage_

Shayera flew down below to the docks and folded her wings back in order to try and appear small. Of course when you have grey wings covered in gold armor, then chances of appearing small are almost nonexistent. Shayera quietly began to investigate the crates and carriers, hoping to find a break in the case that had been handed to her, Kendra, and Grubs. Mob Boss Harrison had been acquitted of his crimes two years ago by 'new found' evidence that pointed to a poor frightened man who admitted to the crimes of murder and robbery. Emmett didn't believe him and neither did Shayera, but with the evidence proving otherwise Mob Boss Harrison was let go scot-free.

When recent activities in the docks began to surface pointing at Mob Boss Harrison, Emmett had given the case to Shayera, Kendra, and Grubs in the hopes that they might find evidence where they can once and for all put Harrison away forever. An increase of cocaine and heroine had been hitting the streets of Midway City and Emmett believes Harrison is behind it. They just need the evidence. Shayera read the names on the crates hoping to find the shipment from Harrison's delivery. Shayera had used the Absorbascon to search for any suspicious shipment made in the harbor and it provided with information about a delivery made to Harrison's warehouse. Shayera had immediately presented her findings to Emmett, who had given the orders to investigate on the spot.

"Hawkgirl. Come in." she heard the walkie-talkie say. Shayera lifted the radio to her ear and said, "I'm here."

"We need to be real careful here. We don't have a warrant for this and everything can fall apart if you get caught." she heard Grubs say over the radio.

"This is stupid. Let me go in, Hawkgirl can cover me from above and you can cover me from below. Or how about you go in? It's honestly easier since both of us don't have wings." she heard Kendra say on the other end.

"Absolutely not." said Hawkgirl immediately.

"Why not?" Kendra said.

"You and Grubs are getting married in two months. This is dangerous and potentially deadly. I promised to attend a ceremony of happiness not of mourning." said Shayera. It was silent on the other end and Shayera hoped that Grubs and Kendra could understand. Shayera is still struggling with her homesickness and the announcement of the marriage between Kendra Saunders and Andrew Grubs had actually lifted Shayera's spirits. It also gave her cause to worry when she began to realize the dangers of having them with her. After the Lion Mane and Livewire episode, Shayera realized that the more criminals she put away the more likely it was that they would target her upon breaking out of prison or getting released. She had already fought against villains who go by the codenames of Luminous, Killer Frost, and many more. Shayera began to take the risky jobs while insuring that Grubs and Kendra stayed out of danger.

"I appreciate the protection Hawkgirl, but we're adults! We can make our own choices and decisions about our lives." said Grubs.

"I don't doubt it. But I have seen you two together and I don't want anything to separate you two from happiness," said Shayera while thinking " _Like how I was ripped from mine._ "

Kendra and Grubs gave each other loving eyes as they thought over Hawkgirl's words. In two months, they can finally be together officially. It took a lot of courage from Grubs to ask his own boss for his blessings, but even Emmett could see the obvious devotion they had for each other. Kendra and Grubs got themselves comfortable and waited with knots in their stomachs as they waited for Hawkgirl to report in. Shayera meanwhile was having a difficult time locating the crates. Harrison's ship _The Beautiful Day_ was visible in the docks, but the crates were difficult to track. Movement from a warehouse light caught her eye and she noticed a group of men waiting in the shadows.

They have yet to see her, so Shayera quickly flew high above into the clouds and silently dove down on top of the warehouse. Shayera thanked the seven heavens that the moon was not out and that it was a particularly cloudy night. The marine layer added an extra cover for her armor and she folded her wings over as a form of blanket so she can observe more quietly. Shayera heard them talking and immediately took out the tape recorder that Emmett had given to her.

"When is Harrison getting here?"

"I don't know. He said to be here tonight and I'm not one to go against his orders."

"I don't like this. Why are we even doing this?"

"We need the money, Johnson. Harrison has promised us that tonight will be the night."

"Hello boys."

Shayera looked to see Harrison arriving at the scene with two heavily armed men. Shayera hoped that whatever was to be discussed tonight would finally implicate Harrison for a lifetime in jail.

"Where's the shipment?"

"It's already on The Beautiful Day. We're ready for shipment to Gotham and Central City."

"Good work gentlemen. The Triad was most displeased the last time I was… kept busy. We can finally get back to business."

"Aren't you worried about Hawkgirl or the Commissioner?"

"With the latest hackers, I doubt they even know we have around $500,000 worth of heroin in these crates. I made sure to have our technicians bounce the shipment around until they are confused to even try and implement us."

Shayera could feel her heart quicken in excitement. This was all the evidence she needed to put Harrison away behind bars. Shayera quickly flew up in the air and hid above the clouds. She made her way towards where Grubs and Kendra were parked and placed the tape recorder safely in the armor pocket. Shayera swooped down to where she last saw Grubs and Kendra and panicked when she saw that they were in the middle of a gunfight with Harrison's men. Shayera grabbed her mace and swooped down and slammed her mace on the ground in the direction of Harrison's goons. The electric current disabled Harrison's men and Shayera only had time to pass the recorder to Kendra's hand when a car screeched around the corner.

"GET THIS TO EMMETT!" yelled Shayera as she flew towards the speeding car with her mace in hand. Kendra and Grubs dove back into the car and drove away to safety as they made their way towards the Police Department. Shayera had slammed her mace on the speeding car and crushed its engines. It didn't stop the men in the car though from shooting her. Shayera flew up in the air and cried out in pain as a bullet managed to pierce through her left wing. Shayera fell to the ground and hid behind a dumpster as the men on the ground continued to open fire at her. Shayera folded her wings back carefully and looked around to spot a sniper taking refuge on top of the building across from her. Shayera quickly ran around the building and avoided the bullets that were being shot in her direction. Shayera thanked the seven heavens that they were nowhere near the city.

Shayera powered up her mace again and managed to send a wave of electricity in the direction of the shooters. She could hear them cry out in pain but didn't stop running until she was safely behind a barricade. Shayera was sure that she had enough distance between herself and the sniper and slowly peeked out. Sure enough, there were too many blockades for the sniper to take a shot at her and she watched him move from his position. Shayera knew that the shooters from the ground were incapacitated so she barreled through the wall of the building she was hiding behind. It was an empty fish cannery and Shayera climbed up the stairs to where the main offices were. She could hear the doors down below slamming open and heard Harrison's voice, "FIND THAT BITCH! I WANT HER DEAD!"

Shayera struggled to move quietly with her armor but she knocked aside empty crates, the noise echoing throughout the building. "SHE'S UPSTAIRS!" Shayera heard Harrison yell. Shayera gasped in pain as more blood flowed out of her wing. Shayera figured that she could easily escape if she used the mace to actually kill the killers, but that would bring too much problems for the Midway City Police Department and to her own psych. Shayera always prided herself in using heavy force to incapacitate but never to kill. Shayera heard footsteps coming in her direction and gripped the mace with force. As soon as she was sure they were around the corner, Shayera absorbed all the electricity that her mace had and sent it on the ground, hoping that the electricity might incapacitate the would-be killers.

It worked, but Shayera soon discovered that the fish cannery was possibly the oldest building in Midway City, where mold and rot was eating away at the building's structure. Shayera felt the building beginning to collapse and looked at the prone forms of Harrison and his sniper. She quickly got up and grabbed each other by the collar of their shirts. She sprinted down the stairs, avoiding debris as she barreled through the wall of the collapsing building. She ran until she was a good safe distant away from the cannery and panted heavily as she felt her vision blur. She had lost too much blood. Shayera could hear sirens in the distance but collapsed. She looked up to see Kendra, Grubs, Emmett and paramedics show up. She weakly got up but collapsed to her knees. Kendra and Grubs ran to her side while Emmett and the paramedics surveyed the other two unconscious killers.

"Hawkgirl? Are you all right? Shit! You're bleeding!" cried out Kendra. Grubs ran over to the paramedics and they quickly patched up her bleeding wound. Shayera gasped out, "Water." Kendra ran over to her car and came back with bottled water. Shayera drank from it as she watched them take Harrison and his sniper away. Shayera gasped in relief that her night is over. By the time everything was done, Emmett and Kendra took Shayera to their home where they could keep a better eye on the recovering Thanagarian. A week has passed and Shayera felt restored to her former glory. Emmett had informed her that with her evidence, they were able to put Harrison away in Iron Heights Prison for life. As Shayera soared above the air, she was content to know that her involvement had helped out a dangerous man behind bars.

Two Months Later

Shayera stood in the back of the church, watching happily as Kendra and Grubs kissed in celebration of their union. She watched as the happy couple walked down the church, accepting congratulations and blessings from their friends and family. She had already gifted Kendra and Grubs their wedding present, the weapons attached to their body, shining brightly. Shayera had handcrafted a combat knife for Kendra and a small battle-axe for Grubs using chromium metal. Bruce assured Shayera that the chromium is a durable metal and she was content to know that they appreciated her present. She watched as the reception took place outside the church and was content at eating her pie and conversing with Emmett and Alice until it was time for the happy couple to leave for their honeymoon. Shayera had no doubt that they will be happy in their life and flew up into the night sky, content at flying in the stars.

 _Four Years since Crash-Landing: Frenemy?_

Shayera soared above the clouds with Tim on her back as the sun was setting on the ocean horizon, shouting in exuberance as they flew above the clouds. Shayera made it a priority to often visit Batman and his family during the past four years as a show of her friendship for them. Tim always looked forward to her visits; often asking for flight rides much to Bruce's disapproval. Shayera never could say no to Tim though. He reminded her so much of her brother Hektar, who she always thought of along with her parents. Four years wasn't enough to quell the homesickness that Shayera felt for her home world and family, but between spending time with Emmett and his family and spending time with Bruce and his family Shayera was at least happy to be a part of either flock.

Shayera dove down and pulled up last minute as the ocean waves beneath them crashed down. Tim was having the time of his life. He was secretly working on a project that will eventually give him his own ability to fly alongside Shayera. He knew that as the years passed, he was growing too big for Shayera to carry on her back so he hoped that he can have his own set of wings ready so he can fly beside Shayera, who he was quickly looking up to as an older sibling much like Dick and Barbara. They flew down to one of the many secret entrances to the Batcave and settled down as night rolled in. Tim began to recount his day before Shayera had arrived and Shayera smiled and listened to his days in school and training as she removed her mask. The Batcave and Emmett's house were the only places Shayera felt comfortable enough to remove her mask. After explaining the reasons as to why she has a mask to Emmett and Alice, Alice had always made sure to give Shayera a hug and comfort. Shayera and Tim waited for Bruce to arrive when red alarms began to bleep in the computer screen.

Bruce Wayne drove into his driveway and greeted Alfred before going back to business. Bruce sighed deeply, troubled over the latest theft in Wayne Enterprises. The Deep Space Communicator was stolen last night and it was the last piece of technology that was going to be installed in the Deep Space Monitoring Program. With it, humans of Earth would be able to communicate with life forms outside of the solar system. Something that can be beneficial for a certain winged individual who is looking for a way back home. The only working model was stolen and the scientists and engineers behind the construction of the machine were gunned down while the blueprints and servers were destroyed. Whoever stole it, wanted to be the only one with the working model. Bruce and Alfred made their way to the Batcave where a red alarm was sounding. Bruce quickly changed into his suit and met with Tim and Shayera, who were both looking at the monitor.

"Shayera." greeted Bruce.

"Bruce. Alfred." greeted Shayera when she turned to see Batman and Alfred.

"What's going on?" asked Bruce as Tim typed into the computer to check the trouble.

"Joker." said Tim simply. Shayera watched as Bruce tensed up and Tim remained grim. The Absorbascon fed her news articles and even medical records of the Joker.

"Where is he?" asked Bruce.

"He seems to be sneaking into the Gotham University Observatory." said Tim.

"He must have stolen the Deep Space Communicator then." said Bruce as he walked towards the Batmobile. Tim followed as Alfred took a seat on the computer chair.

"Hey, Shayera! You coming?" yelled Tim from the passenger seat. Shayera looked at Bruce for permission and at his nod, she put her mask back on and flew after them. Shayera had participated in enough missions with Bruce to know the basic layout of Gotham City. The Gotham University was at the center of the city and Shayera could see the Space Program Building from a mile out. Based on the articles and records of the Joker, he would often commit crime in order to have a laugh. Shayera cannot see the fun in harming other people to have fun, so she decided to stick close to Bruce and Tim in order to properly handle the villain.

Batman and Robin stopped outside the building and quietly sneaked in the building, Robin holding the window open for Hawkgirl to sweep in quietly. Batman quietly signaled for her to go down one hallway while he and Robin went down the other. So many different posters hung on the walls of the hallway that the Absorbascon began to feed her useless information. Shayera grunted in frustration and removed the Absorbascon and clipped it to her side.

Shayera was glad that the hallways were spacious enough for her wings. Her nervousness was already at a high since having to fly in through the small window. Shayera then heard a light-hearted giggle from behind her. She turned to see a woman of her age just staring at her with a wide smile on her face. She had bleached skin that made her skin ivory. One half of her hair was red while the other was black, making her already bright skin brighter. She had a domino mask on and was wearing a black and red corset with diamonds decorating it. She wore fishnet stockings and small black shorts with knee high boots. Her eyes though were a baby blue that seemed to electrify in the light. Shayera honestly felt more nervous having her stare at her with those intense eyes than being in a claustrophobic room.

"May I help you?" asked Shayera, nervous about the woman's stare.

"Sure. Mind telling me why you're here?" said the woman.

"Why are you here?" retorted Shayera.

"Noooooo, I asked first." said the woman in a childish tone.

"I'm here for an investigation. And you?"

"I'm here to… clean up some stuff for myself."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Harleen Quinzel, but you can call me Harley Quinn."

"Harlequin? Like the clown?"

"Well you know, I do like to laugh every now and then. And I know who you are. You're the Hawkgirl from Midway."

Shayera looked at the woman curiously. It looked as though she posed no threat but Shayera was still nervous. "You're here with the bats aren't you?" said Harley bluntly. Shayera balked in surprise and the woman cackled at her reaction. "Oh wow! I didn't think he'd accept help from your kind!"

"My kind?"

"You know! Superhuman or alien! I've seen Batman's reactions to having super powered heroes in Gotham. He hates sharing his city."

"You seem to have encountered Batman up close. Are you his ally?"

"Jeez no! He hates me! And I… kinda hate him I guess. I've just moved to New York actually and I came by to get some last minute things… but don't tell anyone that you saw me here."

"If you are no ally, then I assume you are an enemy?"

"No! Well… I guess, but that's only if you want to tango with my mallet. Otherwise, I think we can be friends." Shayera was honestly floored by Harley: a friend or enemy? Shayera still hasn't determined anything when a loud explosion rocked the whole building.

"Looks like my pud—Mr. J has found Batman and his little bird. Word of advice, I'd wait until the fight dies down a little and watch the show. Mr. J always liked to perform. And I'd kill the thing before we have another… unwelcome visitor." With that, Harley turned away into a room, ignoring Shayera. Shayera watched her with narrowed eyes until she quickly ran down the hallway to where the explosion came from. She quietly walked into an open room and saw Batman and Robin trapped in a cage. Shayera noticed that every single thug in the room was focused on her trapped friends, not even bothering to guard the door. Shayera slipped into the room quietly and noticed that a strange man was talking to Batman. A large machine was behind the man—who Shayera believes to be the Joker—and to Shayera's shock she recognized several of the languages that was being displayed on the monitor. For a brief second, she recognized that Tamaranian language.

The Joker wore a purple suit and his skin was bleached much like Harley's was. His hair was green and he wore a large red smile no his face as he sneered at Batman through the bars. "Come now Batsy! Where's the fun in not inviting a few party guests to our humble planet? Join the party!" he yelled. Shayera watched as he flipped the switch and turned the machine on. Lights began to flash in the screen and the flashing languages stopped to one that Shayera feared the most: Gordanian. Shayera charged the mace and threw it at the machine, destroying it and ensuring that this madman doesn't come into contact with the Gordanians. The machine exploded into pieces and debris was thrown everywhere. "WHAT THE—" yelled the Joker. Shayera flew from her cover and grabbed the bars of the cage and let Batman and Robin free. "KILL HER!" yelled the Joker. Shayera flew up and began to dodge the bullets that were being aimed at her, proving to be a nice distraction to the thugs while Robin took advantage of their distraction. Batman was fighting the Joker and Shayera grabbed her thrown mace and began to help Robin fight back against the thugs. By the time Batman delivered the final blow, everything was calm and all the criminals were rounded up and ready for the GCPD to show up.

"You showed up just in time. I thought for sure the Joker was going to call in an invasion." said Tim when they had returned to the Batcave.

"I was glad I did too. He was calling in the Gordanians and I'd prefer that those monsters stayed away from Earth." said Shayera.

"Where did you go?" asked Bruce as he accepted a cup of tea from Alfred.

"I ran into somebody in the building. A woman who goes by the name of Harley Quinn." said Shayera. At this, Alfred dropped his teapot in surprise while Bruce choked on his drink. Tim looked at Shayera in surprise while Shayera looked at them confused.

"Harley Quinn? She's back in Gotham?" asked Tim.  
"Yes, but for how long I do not know. She said she needed something from the University before she left."

Bruce turned to the computer immediately and began to hack into the Gotham University servers. Shayera felt nervous and was almost afraid that she had failed her friends. Perhaps this Harley Quinn was dangerous and needed to be restrained immediately.

"She erased her history in the university." said Bruce, as he looked at the screens thoughtfully. Shayera was confused and asked, "Who is she?"

"Harley Quinn used to be the Joker's sidekick and girlfriend," explained Tim, "She stopped though when she helped Bruce locate a warehouse where… a friend of ours was being held. She left Gotham though soon after helping us and we haven't seen her since."

Shayera was surprised at his new information. Harley Quinn reformed from her villainous ways to help Batman? "Why did she help you?" asked Shayera, now truly curious. "We don't know for sure. We know though that she and the Joker had a falling out after we found evidence that he made her kill her own pets. He even had her shackled in a room where other skeletons were. I think she finally snapped out of her crazy obsession with Joker and decided to leave Gotham behind." said Tim. Bruce was still looking at the screen curiously and turned when Shayera asked, "Do you believe her to be a threat? Why would she erase her own history?"

"She's trying to restart her life. She's only 23 and she's had to give up so much in the name of the Joker, that she needs to start from scratch. I don't think she's a threat to us, but I'll be keeping an eye on her the next time she shows up." said Bruce. Shayera nodded in understanding while Tim asked him, "What was that machine Bruce? There were so many languages that I didn't understand."

"That was the Deep Space Communicator. It was to be given to the Deep Space Monitoring Program in order to communicate with life outside of Earth. Unfortunately, it was the only working model that Wayne Enterprises had." said Bruce, giving Shayera a pity look while she held her head in her hands. She was that close to finally finding a way home… that close. Shayera took a deep breath and said, "Oh well." She felt Tim hug her from the side and she returned the gesture by wrapping her wings around him. Bruce and Alfred gave her encouraging smiles and she returned them. By the time morning came, Shayera was content to spend her day off hanging out with her first friends and it wasn't until mid-morning that Tim pointed out, "What's that on your back?"

Shayera turned to see a very small folded piece of paper tucked halfway inside her armor. Tim reached for it and gave it to Shayera, who read it out loud,

" _Hey Wings,_

 _It was fun meeting you and all. I hope we can hang out again soon. XOXO, Harley_."

Shayera blinked in surprise at the message. How did she manage to slip it into her armor? She gave Tim and Bruce surprised looks while they gave her an amused look.

 _Five Years since Crash-landing: Invasion_

Shayera figured that perhaps maybe she should celebrate her anniversary since crash-landing in some way. Kendra and Grubs welcomed their first child today this morning, George Grubs. The small infant was passed around the room for all to see and Shayera had to remove her talon hand in order to properly hold him. She smiled at the little one who gave her a gummy smile. Shayera had left the hospital and returned to her line of duty and patrolled the city. Mavis and David had invited her to eat lunch with them so Shayera cut her patrol short in order to meet them at the Chinese Restaurant. The noon was spent conversing about their days and watching with amused smiles as David tried his first eel head.

By the time early evening came, Shayera decided to call it a night and returned to her attic home. For the last five years, her attic was decorated with memorabilia and ancient weapons hung on the walls. The TV was always turned on to the local news in case Shayera needed to make a quick intervene. She removed her armor and mask before laying down on her hammock as she watched the news. Nothing much was happening, the United Nation's agreement to dismantle all their nuclear warheads and use Superman as an enforcer for peace, a new election for the mayor's office and… the Deep Space Monitoring Program was shut down? Shayera was suddenly wide-awake as she heard the news about the explosion that destroyed the program. Shayera didn't have time though to think over her thoughts when a Breaking News report was suddenly on the TV.

"This is Snapper Carr reporting to you live in Metropolis. Superman is attempting to stop the alien menace from wreaking havoc in downtown Metropolis."

Sure enough, Shayera watched as the footage showed the Kryptonian attempting to stop the white and red alien from destroying the city. Shayera quickly geared up again and made her way to the police station where everyone was watching the news. "Hawkgirl!" she heard Emmett call out. Shayera quickly made towards him and followed him into his office.

"Shit. This is big. If Superman himself can't stop it, then we need to prepare ourselves." said Emmett as he paced anxiously in his office. This was the second time she had seen him this anxious, the first time was when he was pacing with Grubs outside the delivery room as Kendra gave birth to her son. Shayera looked at the news from his TV and noticed a peculiar trait. Every time an explosion happened, the giant creature would flinch back from the burst of light.

"Commissioner," said Shayera in excitement, "Rewind the TV." George looked confused but heeded her words. When the TV replayed the creature's flinch, Shayera cried out, "There! It doesn't like light!" George studied the footage and realized she was right. By that point, Emmett had run out of his office and made all available officers and detectives both on duty and off duty to study the footage and had every single one of them go out to collect all available light sources that were capable of emitting that same level of intensity. Shayera wanted to stay and help, but she realized that she needed to relay this same information to Commissioner Gordon in Gotham, which was the closest city to Metropolis. Emmett had tried to call in but only managed to receive a busy line. Whether it meant Gordon was busy or Gotham was a lost cause, neither Shayera nor George knew but George asked Shayera to head on to Gotham and relay her findings to Gordon immediately while Emmett tried to reach other Commissioners in nearby cities.

Shayera had never flown as hard as she did right now. She knew that she racing against time as she made her way to Gotham and hoped that she can reach Bruce in time as well. The sight of the destroyed Metropolis brought butterflies to her stomach as she thought of Midway in that same situation and Shayera began to push herself beyond her limit to reach Gotham in time.


	10. Secret Origins: Wildcard

_Secret Origins_

Shayera flapped her wings as hard as she could as she made her way towards Gotham. She wished that she left her armor behind as she continued to fly, feeling the strain wearing her down. Shayera knew she was still an hour away from Gotham as she flew over the National Park. The night sky was filled with stars by the time she had reached Gotham and Shayera's first stop was the mansion. She flew towards the isolated building and made her way to the secret entrance by the cliffs that was used by Batman's jet boat. She flew in and saw Alfred sitting in the computer chair sipping tea and Tim training with the dummy. Tim grew from the twelve year old she had first met to an upstanding fighter at seventeen years. Shayera distantly wondered if Hektar would have grown the same way Tim did, but she quickly shook those thoughts and focused on the present.

"ALFRED! TIM!" she cried out. Tim slipped on his footing while Alfred jumped in surprise and turned and said, "Oh my! Miss Shayera! What brings you here?"

"I need to tell Bruce about the Invaders."

"Shayera!" cried out Tim as he hugged Shayera. Shayera hugged him back and realized distractedly that he was growing taller than her.

"Yes, yes. Master Bruce was on his way to investigate the explosion of the Deep Space Monitoring Program. He was supposed to call in though about ten minutes ago." said Alfred in deep thought. Shayera could see his worry etched on his face and said, "Where was he last?" Alfred pressed a button on the computer screen and they watched as a red dot appeared over the Midway National Park.

"I'll go and find him for you. Please, can you go to the Gotham Police Department and tell them to engulf the city in light? Whatever these invaders are, they are vulnerable to it." said Shayera as she quickly launched herself into the air. Alfred nodded in agreement.

"Shayera! Take me with you!" cried out Tim, not wanting to be left behind as his adopted father might be in danger.

"No, Tim. I have a mission for you actually," said Shayera from above the cave, "I need you to help Alfred and call in Dick and Barbara. With Bruce gone, Gotham needs you three to help protect it." Shayera saw as Tim's chest puffed slightly at being given an important mission and smiled slightly as she flew out of the cave and towards Midway National Park. Shayera flapped her wings as hard as she could in order to reach the park in time. It takes about a good three hours to fly from Midway to Gotham, so Shayera hoped that the time will be cut in half as she made her way to the Park.

If the topography was correct, Shayera recognized the area of Bruce's location as the same place she had found Byth's ship five years ago. Thankfully, the trip would be shorter and Shayera could already see burning debris in the distance a good five miles away. The winter had come early to Midway this year and Shayera was thankful for the snow blanket that covered the whole National Park. The snow actually helped illuminate where the fire was. Hopefully if she arrived on time, then Bruce wouldn't be a part of the burning debris.

As luck would have it, Shayera could spot Bruce in the distance supporting a green-skinned… man? The Kryptonian, Superman, was with them along with another man dressed in a green and black costume, another man in an all red costume with yellow lightning bolts on each side of his head, and a woman dressed in a blue, red, gold, and white ensemble.

They were surrounded on the edge of a cliff by the red and white invaders. They carried what looked like laser cannons and Shayera could spot several destroyed ships in the distance, giving her confidence that they will not expect an air attack. As far as the laser cannons looked, Shayera was confident that her armor and mace could easily deflect the blasts from their cannons. She settled on a tree a good distance away from them to hide, but close enough to be able to still see and hear their conversation. Shayera knew Bruce had seen her by the way he made a slight peace sign with his hand and lowering it to his belt in order to grip his batarang, a signal they both worked on together to communicate in dire situations such as this. She watched as Batman had thrown his batarang at the invaders in front of him and watched them explode, but more come to replace them. It was when she heard Batman yell "NOW" that Shayera launched out of her hiding place and flew up high. Was this stupid? Yes, it was. Shayera however paid no mind to it and flew high above before making a dive bomb, a fully charged mace in hand. Shayera restrained herself from crying out, wanting this to be swift and silent… or as silent as it's going to be before Shayera unleashed Ominar's hell on these invaders.

It was a simple investigation mission turned into rescue mission. Bruce had been investigating why the Deep Space Monitoring Program had met its sudden end and he had his first encounter with the Imperialists, who were disguised as scientists that were working on the program. After Superman joined the fray, they teamed up to investigate what these creatures were. When they had managed to break into a military site, they were shocked to find a captive Martian. When they had freed him, they learned that the Martian had come to Earth in order to warn them of the Invaders, but was captured once he had landed on Earth. The Imperialist have been on Earth far longer than they have anticipated. They had tricked the World Nation to dismantle their heavy artillery in favor of promoting World Peace and forced Superman to run circles all around the planet to wear him down.

Bruce struggled to hold the alien Martian, J'onn J'onnz, upright as they were surrounded by the Imperials. He and Superman had followed J'onn's telepathic messages and rescued him from the Imperials' prison. They had managed to escape the military site and the chase was on. Superman managed to take down at least a good handful of the ships that were chasing them when they had escaped but one of the Imperials' ship had managed to make a lucky shot at Batman's jet wing. Just when Batman was sure he was about to meet his end, the green light energy of the Green Lantern surrounded his ship and landed him and J'onn safely on the edge. The Flash soon made an appearance, carrying a piece of the jet back to Batman. The newcomer, Diana, saved them along with Superman by destroying the rest of the ships.

All this however was for nothing as the ground fleet surrounded them. Batman narrowed his eyes at the invaders and gripped his batarang for a final assault until he was reminded that they landed in the Midway National Park, not too far for a certain winged heroine to spot them. Batman hoped that Shayera would be able to spot them. Having a heavy hitter would be essential right about now. Especially if said heavy hitter sports armor and carried a mace that can deflect most laser-based weaponry. Diana's arm braces were excellent at deflecting the laser blasts, but they were only good for frontal defense, not an all round defense. Batman could only hope though that Shayera might have spotted them from Midway.

"Release the Martian to us and we shall spare you from the forced labor camps!" yelled one of the Imperialists. Batman felt J'onn tremble slightly and figured that he has had experience in the camps himself. A slight shadow passed by in the trees and Batman knew that Shayera had seen them and was waiting for his signal. They had worked on it together in the event that Shayera or Bruce was available for a rescue and needed a non-verbal cue to get ready.

"Hey! You come to our planet and start making demands? Who do you think you are?" yelled the Flash. Batman had to refrain himself from rolling his eyes. The kid has a good heart, but he sometimes needs to remember when to stop shoving his foot in his mouth. The Imperialist leader chuckled and said, "We will conquer your planet the same way we have conquered the Martian's. You have no chance to defeat us." Batman pressed the timer on his batarang, getting ready to throw it at them. The Leader continued to talk, "We have implanted agents on your planet for the past ten years. You have no chance whatsoever to stop us from taking your planet the same way we took the Martian's."

Batman threw his batarang at the leader who easily deflected it to the ground. Batman sneered as they laughed but he waited until it exploded, where they all screamed as they were knocked back. "Good bluff." said the Green Lantern, John Stewart. Batman didn't respond though as he watched more creep from the shadows and leveled their weapons at them, charging to eradicate the whole group. The Green Lantern's energy had already proved to withstand about two at a time, if he could stay focused but to have about twenty would be too much. Batman yelled, "NOW" and he watched Shayera fly up high and then began a dive bomb with a fully charged mace.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN NOW!" he yelled as he dove to the ground, dragging J'onn with him. Everybody else complied and Batman watched as Shayera hit the ground with her mace, causing an electrical eruption to burst through the mace. The Imperialists were thrown up in the air as the bright electricity pierced their bodies and threw them far away from the impact zone. The bright light of the electricity was enough to push some back before the light died down. Those that managed to at least recover began firing at the newcomer, realizing too late that her armor repelled the blasts. The newcomer began to beat back their blasts with a swing of her mace.

Superman, a.k.a. Clark Kent, watched in amazement as the newcomer took every hit that was sent her way without so much as flinching. Hawkgirl, as he knows her to be, was proving to be a valuable ally in this fight. Superman could briefly remember the one time he had wanted to meet Hawkgirl but followed Batman's advice and left her alone to her own devices in the city, especially after being informed of Commissioner Emmett's views on vigilantes and heroes that answered to no higher authority. She was no threat to the Earth but the one time she had indirectly harmed him, by letting Lex Luthor study her mace, almost made him confront her in Midway and demand to know why she would willingly give Luthor a dangerous weapon. It was only by Batman's intervention that Superman let it slide.

Wally West, The Flash, watched as the winged hottie (at least he hopes she's hot) beat back the Imperialists. He had to admit that he was way over his head in thinking that these Imperialists were going to be pushovers when he had first arrived to the battle. He felt a boost of confidence though as he watched the mysterious Hawkgirl of Midway City beat back the invaders. He had heard stories about the lonely hero but this was the first time he actually saw her face to face without the Internet.

John Stewart had no idea what to think of this Hawkgirl. From the reports he has read and by the way people talk of her, she was somebody that will keep to herself and not get involved in affairs outside her city. He had pegged her to be antisocial and cold towards other people, especially when she never showed for the opening of the Doom Patrol exhibit or the way he had briefly seen her avoid socializing with people the one time she did show up at the funeral for the fallen team. As he watched her beat back the invaders, he realized that she had a lot to surprise him with.

Diana of Themyscira watched as this brave woman warrior of man's world fought fiercely against the invaders. She was nervous at first when meeting with the group of men in the beginning and feared she might be the only woman that was willing to show and defend the planet. She is honestly relieved to see that another had stood up and began to fight back with such a ferocity that can be matched to a Spartan.

J'onn J'onnz quietly observed the newcomer who had shown up from almost out of nowhere. When he had made communication to all available heroes that were either near by or capable, he had no idea that she even existed. As he tried to read her mind, he was surprised to find a mental shield surrounding her. It was a natural shield that came to her and he had no doubt that she even knew she was invulnerable against telepathic attacks. This was a wild card that he had not foreseen. Batman gently laid J'onn down on the ground and jumped into action. It was the sort of action that got everyone else to fight back. By the time Green Lantern had knocked down his last opponent, the whole area was quiet.

"It was lucky that you showed up when you did." said Batman as he watched Shayera clip her mace back on her hip. "Be grateful that I was on my way back to the Park. I had informed our mutual friend and our small friend to inform Commissioner Gordon that these creatures are weak against light." said Shayera, not knowing the heroes behind Batman and deciding to keep Batman's family a secret.

"How are they?" asked Batman.

"They are well, the minute they gave me your coordinates I left behind our small friend a mission to gather the other two and prepare Gotham in case these invaders branch out." said Shayera, hoping Bruce can understand. She doesn't have his permission after all to reveal so much of his private life to the others after all. Batman nodded his gratefully and was glad to know that with Tim, Barbara, and Dick out in the field then Gotham would be safe.

"How did you discover their weakness?" asked the green-skinned… man. Shayera had never seen a life form like him and looked at him curiously.

"I observed the footage of Superman fighting the creatures. They backed away briefly everytime an explosion happened, the light proving to be the source of their hesitation. I was on my way to inform you, Batman, about it. Instead, I ran into our mutual friends who were worried and I went out to find you." explained Shayera.

"I'll have to check up later then. For now, we have an advantage then by knowing their weakness." said Batman.

"Yo, Bats! How about introducing us?" said Flash, smirking an arrogant smile at Batman.

Batman narrowed his eyes at the Flash but nevertheless said, "Hawkgirl, this is the Flash-"

"-Of Central City. I am the fastest man alive, sweetheart." said Flash, interrupting Batman. He zoomed around everybody to prove his point and stopped next to Shayera holding a wild flower she recognized that came from a meadow a good five miles away from here. She accepted the flower and placed it inside her chest armor, to keep it safe. The Flash smiled at her acceptance and zoomed back to his place.

"I'm Superman," introduced the Man of Steel, "It's an honor to finally meet you." He extended his hand out to shake hands with her and Shayera briefly hesitated but forced herself to shake hands back, remembering that he was the Last Son of Krypton—meaning there were no threats of any Kryptonian invasion coming to Earth.

"Hawkgirl of Midway City," introduced Shayera to him and the others, not wanting them to know her real name, "I have heard much about you Superman. It's… nice to finally meet you." Superman smiled at her words and Shayera smiled back. Perhaps they might have a friendly acquaintanceship in the long run, but Shayera could see herself working alongside him.

The dark-skinned man in the black and green uniform walked up to her and introduced himself, "John Stewart, Green Lantern Corps." Shayera could feel her eyebrows raise at the military formality he introduced himself with and decided to respond in kind, "Hawkgirl, Captain of the Thanagarian Law Enforcement and the Midway City Police Department." She saw his eyes widen a bit at the new information he had seemed to skip over but they shook hands anyways.

"Hello. My name is Diana of Themyscira." introduced the tall woman. Shayera felt the Absorbascon blare to life and the Greek Mythology and History of the Amazons filled her head. "Amazonian?" asked Shayera. The woman, Diana, smiled and said, "So you have heard of us?"

"Only your basic history and myth. As far as present times goes, I know nothing." said Hawkgirl as she shook her hand. Shayera looked at the Martian and asked, "I believe I need to be caught up to what you know. I am Hawkgirl as you know." The Martian nodded in greeting and said, "And my name is J'onn J'onnz."

J'onn J'onnz began his tragic tale of his own encounter with the invaders. His home world was the sister planet of Earth, Mars. It was a utopia during their heyday. J'onn had family of his own, a wife and two children. Their peacefulness was shattered when the Imperials arrived and began to round up the Martians in order to feed off their telepathic powers and shape shifting abilities. For years the Imperials had eliminated all of the Martian kind until only a small rebel group was formed and made a suicide run to eradicate the Imperials in their own territory. J'onn was the one who had released the nerve gas that had incapacitated the Imperials on his planet, but unfortunately he was also the last one standing. He had kept the Imperials from waking up by guarding over the Citadel until the fateful day when, during his hibernation cycle, humans landed on Mars and had accidently awoken the Imperials.

"I have tried to warn you all of the coming disaster but they had managed to intercept me and have kept me prisoner." finished J'onn. Shayera felt a wave of sadness sweep over her for the lone Martian in front of her. She couldn't bear to think of losing her home world and family the way he had. She focused her mind though on the upcoming mission at hand. Earth was in danger and she needed to protect her adopted home world.

"Why can't you whip up another batch of the nerve gas?" asked The Flash.

"The nerve gas was created by a rare Mars wildflower and I brought a sample with me that was eventually destroyed by the Imperials." said J'onn. _Well there went that option,_ Shayera thought. She looked around to see that the others had the same thought and listened as Batman began to take charge.

The group decided to split off into teams in order to fully handle the machines that were currently dispensing smoke up into the hemisphere in order to blot out the sun. The ion charge needed to be reversed in order to render the machines useless. Each group carried the charge that will reverse the polarity and bring back the sunny skies that were supposed to be shown right about now. Once they reached the main reactor they were to look for the ion crystal and place the charge in it. Shayera was paired with Superman and they both made their way to the closest machine, which was in one of the clear meadows of the Midway National Park. Shayera and Superman could see the Imperials down below, patrolling their machine as it began to pollute the sky. Shayera motioned for Superman to follow her and they landed in the trees, observing from afar.

"So you're from the planet, Thanagarian?" asked Superman as an attempt to break the tension. Shayera snorted in amusement and said, "Thanagar. I am from the planet Thanagar."

Superman chuckled and said, "I've read the Daily Planet's coverage of you five years ago. You crash-landed here. Have you found a way home yet?" Shayera shook her head and said, "There was a point where I had the chance, but it slipped from my grasp." Superman gave her a grim look and said, "I'm sorry. You must have family that you miss."

Shayera looked over at Superman and said, "I do. But I'm comforted with the knowledge that they are safe. I took down a dangerous criminal in the process of crash-landing here on your planet, but I have found a home. And it is a home I will die for." With those words, Shayera flared her wings and launched herself towards the Imperials and began to beat her way through to the machine. She could vaguely hear Superman follow behind her and help her eliminate the enemies. Though his fighting skills were basic at best, his super strength help turn the tide of the fight in their favor. Superman began to beat down the walls of the machine while Shayera kept the grounded Imperials busy. As Superman had finally opened a hole in the machine, he called out, "Hawkgirl! Follow me!"

Shayera beat down the last of the Imperials before following Superman into the machine. It was dark and a little claustrophobic, but Shayera had a mission and it needed to be completed. They walked down the confusing hallways, trying to find the main reactor for the machine. It was while walking down the hallways that they encountered another group of Imperials running in their direction.

 _"_ Hawkgirl, get behind-" but whatever Superman was about to say was cut short when Shayera launched herself into the battle. As they began to fire at her, Shayera crossed her arms in front of her to deflect the beams. Once she was in range, she quickly unclipped her mace and began to beat down the Imperials. As one tried to grip her wings, Shayera brought her wings in closely before forcefully spreading them out with enough force to knock several against the wall. The fight only lasted about a few seconds as Shayera had quickly dispatched them with her mace. She turned to see Superman staring at her with surprised eyes and said, "What? There's a time for words and a time for action."

"You seem to like the strike first, ask questions later right? Are you always eager for a fight?" asked Superman. "Not true," said Shayera as she led the way, "If you seem to recall, I waited for Batman's signal before I helped you. In other times I do tend to strike first, but that's only because in Thanagar they teach you how to fight at an early age. If you don't know how to defend yourself in Thanagar, you're good as dead. It's the way I was raised."

Superman processed her words and thought it over as they walked down the hallway. What kind of world do you live in where it was required for children to learn how to handle a weapon and fight instead of learning how to play games and be carefree? He couldn't think more on the subject though as the front way was suddenly sealed.

"It's a trap!" he cried out. They were too late to do anything however as all possible exits were sealed. Shayera gripped her mace and began to beat against the walls, hoping that she can find a weak point and create an exit. "Don't worry Hawkgirl, I'll-AAAAAUUUHGG!" he yelled when he tried to rip the doors open, only to be electrocuted. "Superman!" yelled Shayera as she flew towards the fallen hero. She placed his arm around her shoulders and tried to lift him up, only for gas to start filling the chambers. Shayera held her breath and tried to desperately to search for an exit, but couldn't find any. She couldn't hold her breath any longer and gasped, breathing in the gas and feeling it affect her senses. Her vision blurred and Shayera coughed as she tried to exhume the gas. She fell to her knees and tried to stand up, but eventually the gas won over and knocked her unconscious.

Shayera groaned and opened her eyes. She felt like each eyelid had a weight tied down to it and opted to close her eyes again. "Hawkgirl!" she heard someone call out. She opened her eyes with effort to see she was in a different room. She tried to move her limbs but found that she couldn't move them at all. Her eyes snapped open and she saw that she was kneeling on the ground with a sticky substance prohibiting her from moving at all. Shayera began to thrash against her bindings and heard Superman call out to her, "Hawkgirl! There's no way to escape, conserve your energy!"

Shayera looked around to see that she and Superman were not the only ones who were captured. Diana, Flash, J'onn, and Green Lantern were there with them as well. The room was spacious and the six were kneeling in front of a platform where several Imperials had their weapons trained on them. Shayera looked around again and noticed the ion crystal behind her. It was so close but with her limbs tied down, she can do nothing.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We walked right into their trap. We had no way to know." said Superman. Shayera looked around again to notice Batman missing and asked, "Where's Batman?" He had gone with Diana and J'onn to take down one of the machines near one of the agricultural fields of Gotham City. Diana and J'onn looked down to the ground in mourning and Shayera felt herself stiffen in response. There was no way this man would be beaten down like this. He couldn't be dead. She had promised to keep him safe for Alfred and Tim! He was her first friend and ally on this planet! She had failed him… she had failed Batman. She had failed Midway City, Commissioner Emmett, Kendra, Grubs, Alice… everybody.

Shayera would have spent more time dwelling on her feelings of sorrow self-pity when the Imperial Commander made an appearance. He was a large purple and black blob that the red and white bowed down to as it floated in front of the fallen heroes. Shayera felt absolute hatred engulf her mind as she watched the Imperium float towards them. If it was the last thing she does in the land of the living, she will kill this parasite.

"J'onn J'onnz," said the Imperium, addressing J'onn, "It's been a long time." With that, J'onn was lifted telepathically until he was in front of the Imperium. Two of the Imperials held staffs and began to light it up, turning it to J'onn and electrifying him. Shayera watched in horror as J'onn screamed in pain until he shifted back into his natural form. "There," mocked the Imperium, " That's better. You have defied us for centuries."

"And I will never bow to you or your kind," responded J'onn defiantly. Shayera smirked at his response and silently cheered for him. It may seem a bit childish but Shayera was feeling for an itch to fight but can't do anything being tied down as she was.

"Then we shall see if we can accomplish what should have been done a long time ago... Eliminating the last Martian." Said the Imperium as it began to latch onto J'onn's skin with its tentacles. Shayera watched in horror as it dug into J'onn and she could see the tentacles going up the side of his body to his head where J'onn unleashed an unearthly scream. She struggled against her bonds and felt her mace. She felt relief swell up in her that the Imperials haven't removed her mace while she was unconscious. Shayera gripped it tightly and felt the charge swell up. She willed the charge to go up to its maximum, grabbing the attention of all around her.

"What are you doing?" cried out the Green Lantern. Shayera ignored him and continued to push the charge beyond its limit. The electricity began to discharge the heat melted the sticky substance that held her down. She was vaguely aware of the Imperials that began to fire at her, but with her armor she was safe from the blasts. She gave out a cry and broke free from her hardened prison and flew up in the air.

"KILL HER!" cried out the Imperium. He had left J'onn on the floor and was attempting to reach out to her with his tentacles. Shayera still held the electrified mace at its maximum charge and she swung it around her head and released it. The mace flew towards the barrier that protected the crystal and it broke through the shield barrier.

"NOW!" She heard J'onn yell and to her delight Batman appeared from the shadows and threw the ion charge into the opening Shayera had made with her mace. The charge went through the whole compound, turning the pink slush that powered the machine into bright neon blue. Shayera quickly swooped down and grabbed Batman before the Imperials' blasts hit him. The black smoke that fed up into the sky had turned into a laser of blue that parted the dark grey swirls and sunshine had flown through. Superman felt regenerated as the yellow rays fed him his power and he used his heat vision to cut through the bindings. He freed the others and pretty soon (much to Shayera's enjoyment) it turned into an all out brawl.

Shayera had never felt this much exhilaration in the last five years. Memories of bar fights and friendly brawls echoed in her mind and for once, she felt a sort of belonging since coming here to Earth. She dodged a blast that was heading towards her and watched as the Green Lantern easily blocked the blast with his power ring. Shayera looked at him curiously, wondering the kind of fighter you had to be in order to hold a weapon such his. He looked at her briefly with his glowing green eyes and Shayera gave a brief smile before jumping into the fray.

Once the battle was over, Shayera noticed that the Imperium was trying to make a quick getaway. Diana quickly grabbed her lasso and lassoed the Imperium by its tentacles. Superman quickly dispatched the Mothership and Diana held on to the Imperium as the sun caused it to implode. Shayera stood hovering in the air for a while and rejoiced at having taken part in stopping an invasion. It was exhilarating and she had felt kinship with these people. She looked around to notice that she was not in the National Park, rather in an unfamiliar city. She flew down next to Batman and asked, "Where am I?"

"You're in Metropolis." said Batman as he and Shayera walked towards the others to regroup.

"Metropolis?" said Shayera before she panicked and said, "I need to return to Midway! How far am I?"

"About a five hour flight back to Midway." said Batman, worried as he watched Shayera stiffen at the information. Even with her mask on, Bruce knew the look of panic was on her face.

"I can give you a lift sweetheart." said the Flash with a smirk on his face.

"I don't think you can carry me with my armor on," said Shayera, wanting to take his offer but knowing that her armor might weigh him down.

"Hey I can do it," said Flash with a bit of a pout, "Just trust me."

Shayera gave a small smile and took his offered hand. He quickly lifted her onto his back and said, "Tuck your wings in so I don't have to fight against resistance too." Shayera followed his instructions and one minute Batman was there and the next, Shayera witnessed landmarks zooming by and she was suddenly in Midway. She gasped when she realized she was standing on top of the Police Headquarters. She looked around and spotted a large group of policemen holding a barricade near one of the entrances to the city. Shayera looked out and saw that the Imperials were still trying to invade the city. The lights Commissioner Emmett had collected from all around the city proved to work as a barrier against the Invaders, who hesitated wondering closed. They were firing at the lights sources in order to extinguish it and Shayera knew she only had moments to act before Midway was engulfed in darkness.

Shayera took her mace and charged it to its full maximum again. She turned to the Flash and said, "Can you tell Commissioner Emmett to tell his men to stay close to the ground?" Flash nodded and sped off as Shayera flew high above in the air and continued to charge her mace. Shayera was sure that the time to enact stupid plans was far from over as she decided to perform the same trick Livewire had done in the National Park three years ago. Once Shayera knew that she was at a good distance up above, she folded her wings back and dive-bombed towards the army of Imperials that were attempting to enter Midway. Shayera could briefly see that the officers had dove down to the ground the minute they saw her and she hit the ground with her mace. The electric charge went around her in an electric dome and lightning burst forth from the impact zone. When the electric charge was done, Shayera quickly got into battle position but relaxed once she realized she was the only one left standing. The police officers warily got up from their position and once they realized that the threat was over, they began to cheer that the invasion was over. Shayera flew towards where she saw Flash and Emmett and greeted them with a smile.

"You never stop surprising us." said Emmett as he gave Shayera a pat on the shoulder.

"You looked awesome! It was like a blue comet was heading our way, it was so cool!" said the Flash as he then prattled like a child. Shayera and Emmett looked at him with amusement before the familiar sight of Superman entered the skies.

"Hawkgirl! Flash! We need your help to take care of the machine in the National Park!" said Superman as he tossed the ion charge to Shayera and she and Flash quickly followed Superman to the National Park. It was quick work to eliminate the machines once they knew what to expect and where to go. The Imperials were all but eradicated by next morning and Shayera was tired by the time the job was over. She wearily flew back to Midway after eliminating the threat in the Agricultural Fields of Gotham City. Shayera flew to Midway City where, to her shock and surprise, the citizens greeted her with cheer. She landed in the middle of the mob and people cheering her name or wanting to take a picture of her suddenly engulfed her. Shayera felt her feathers puff in slight agitation when she was suddenly met with reporters asking questions such as "What was it like working with Superman and the Flash?" or "What is your relationship with Batman and Green Lantern?" or "Who was the woman that fought beside you?" Shayera wanted to fly away the minute she could, but the timely arrival of Emmett and Kendra escort her to the museum. Shayera thought she could have a moment of peace, but Emmett, Kendra, and Mavis and David who were in the museum then bombarded her with questions, the main question being, "What happened?"

Shayera tiredly began her tale and by the time her story was finished, her friends were looking at her with newfound surprise and excitement. "You know, one of these days your 'wild card' escapades is going to get you in trouble." said Kendra. Shayera shrugged and said with a smirk, "I normally think through my actions but there are times where I will go off in a frenzy." Kendra laughed out loud while Mavis only shook her head in amusement.

"So what does this mean?" asked David.

"What do you mean?" asked Shayera as she stretched her arms, feeling exhaustion setting in.

"Come on. Seven of the Earth's heroes meet together in order to fight a greater evil? Something has to happen." explained David. Shayera smiled at her friend and said, "As of right now, I don't know what's going on." After a long night of talking and a promise to visit Emmett and Alice in the morning, Shayera wearily climbed up the stairs to her attic home and took her mask off once she was inside. She was so exhausted that she didn't notice the red and black haired woman sitting in the corner of the room.

Shayera was suddenly face-down on the floor when she heard the person pinning her down say, "How you doin' Wings?" Shayera froze and looked over her shoulder to see Harley Quinn pinning her down.

"Harley?" she asked. The only other time she had been in contact with Harley Quinn was last year when she helped Bruce stop the Joker's plans.

"The one and only." said Harley as she got up from Shayera and helped her up.

"What are you doing here? You're a little far from New York are you not?" asked Shayera as she stood up and gestured to Harley to sit on her hammock. Harley took the offered seat and said, "I'm in a bit of a pickle and I would like to ask if you wouldn't mind being my wild card." Shayera blinked in surprise at her statement and asked, "Wild Card?"

"I heard what the lady downstairs called you. A wild card, huh? I'd like to think of myself as a wild card." said Harley as she laid down on the hammock and began to swing back and forth. Shayera looked at Harley and said, "What would a wild card have need for a wild card?" Harley laughed out loud and said, "I like you. Look, there's a group that's been hunting me down ever since I left Mr. J's… employment. I spent the last year trying to evade them but I'm at the end of m'ah string and I'm bored now. When they catch me, I want you to be my outside source in case it turns more dangerous than it needs to be."

"So you want me to help break you out in case you can't handle it?" asked Shayera.

"More like, in case I need back up." confirmed Harley. Shayera looked at her with speculative eyes. In one hand, she knew next to nothing about Harley. In another hand, Shayera was starting to like the spunky yet strange woman that was across from her. Shayera said, "Ok, but how will we keep in contact?"

"With this." said Harley, showing Shayera a small micro-communicator. Shayera took it from her and examined it. It was a very well designed communicator. Shayera grabbed her mask and placed the chip inside of it. She put her mask on and Harley talked in her own communicator.

" _Hello? Can you hear me_?" she heard Harley in her helmet as though she were right next to her ear. Shayera nodded her head and said, "It works Harley."

Harley gave her a devious smile and said, "Good. Now all that's left is to make this look good." Shayera looked at her in confusion before…

David and Mavis were leaving after closing the museum early and wanting to call it an early night. After yesterday and this morning's events, David and Mavis wanted to give the museum employees time to breath and relax. They were walking down the steps of the museum when they heard a crash and a yell from above them. They crouched down to avoid the falling debris and to their astonishment saw Hawkgirl crash into the street. Cars passing by screeched to a halt to avoid running over Midway's heroine and people got out of their vehicles and backed away in case of a fight. Their worries came true when Harley Quinn jumped out of the open wall from Hawkgirl's balcony carrying a mallet.

"Heads up!" they heard Quinn yell and she smashed the mallet into Hawkgirl's stomach. David and Mavis winced when they heard Hawkgirl cry out in pain but they watched as she grabbed the mallet and pulled Harley towards her where she kicked her up in the air and threw the mallet away from the fight. Harley was laughing when she came back down and attempted to stomp on Hawkgirl with her heeled boots. Hawkgirl had rolled to the side and used her wings as a barrier against Harley's kicks. David was quickly calling for the police while Mavis was helping other people avoid the fight.

Hawkgirl had managed to catch Quinn in a full nelson and was ramming her against the wall in order to stop Quinn and hopefully knock her unconscious. Quinn then managed to break free from Hawkgirl's hold and used the wall to flip over Hawkgirl and kicked her between the wings. Shayera grunted but didn't feel any pain as her armor protected her. Hawkgirl jabbed her elbow from behind and caught Harley on her chin, but Harley gave a swift kick up and got Hawkgirl under her chin, the few vulnerable areas of her whole armor. Hawkgirl choked as her throat began to reflex and was attempting to empty an empty stomach.

David and Mavis had led people into the museum to avoid becoming collateral damage and were watching outside the screen doors with a few other people as Hawkgirl had managed to pin Harley to the floor. The sound of sirens was heard and Commissioner Emmett and Detective Grubs were the first to arrive on the scene.

"Harley Quinn! Put your hands in the air!" yelled Commissioner Emmett. He had his weapon pointed at Quinn and she stopped struggling against Hawkgirl. Grubs went forward and handcuffed Harley as Hawkgirl released her.

"Commissioner Emmett!" came the voice of Amanda Waller. Hawkgirl turned to see her and several ARGUS agents behind her walk towards them.

"Ms. Waller, another convict for you?" asked Emmett.

"If you don't mind," said Waller politely, "She's been wanted by Belle Reve Penitentiary for a whole year."

"Well here you go." said Grubs as he handed Quinn over to the ARGUS agents. Quinn discreetly gave a small nod to Hawkgirl who caught the message and said, "If she ever escapes, don't hesitate to contact me. I still have a score to settle over my wrecked apartment." At this, Amanda Waller gave a smile over to Hawkgirl and said, "Hell, I'll let you lead your task force if something like this happens." As ARGUS left with the captive Harley Quinn, Shayera couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to pretend to hate Quinn. She should be a spy next if her career as a police officer doesn't work out.

It had been a week since the Imperials had tried to take over the Earth. Shayera was patrolling the city when a surprise visit from Superman interrupted her routine. "Hawkgirl! I need you to come with me!" he said.

"Later. I'm still on my shift." said Shayera as she continued to fly along her patrol.

"Shift?"

"I work for the Midway Police Department, or did you forget? The last time I informed the world of it was five years ago."

"Can't you spare a few hours?" asked Superman, baffled that she still continued to fly around the city scouting for danger.

"Will you ignore the cries of your city for a few hours?" retorted Shayera, annoyed that he was interrupting her patrol.

"There isn't any immediate danger though."

"A simple liquor store robbery can result to lives lost if not handled quickly." said Shayera.

"Look, I got everybody else together because Bruce wanted to show everybody how we can be able to protect the world again from another invading force." said Superman, hoping that by bringing up Batman she will concede to follow even though Bruce had already told him that Hawkgirl was not one to be so careless with her responsibilities.

"All right then, when does your patrol end?" asked Superman, deciding not to fight against the stubborn hero.

"I'll be done within the hour. You can tell Bruce to start ahead without me if its so important." said Shayera as she flew ahead of Superman and resumed her work.

"All right then, I'll meet you in an hour." said Superman as he flew away towards the National Park. He pressed on the communicator in his ear and heard Bruce's voice say, "I told you she wouldn't drop her work."

"I know," said Superman irritated that the Dark Knight was proven right again, "She's dedicated though and responsible. I can hardly fault her for not wanting to leave her work. How exactly did you meet her anyways? You two seemed in synch when we were fighting against the invaders."

"She crash-landed, she needed help to arrest a criminal, Robin grew an attachment to her and she's been visiting Gotham whenever she is allowed to have free time." explained Batman.

"Huh, does she know that Tim has moved to California with the other kids?" asked Superman.

"Not yet, Tim wanted to be the one to tell her." said Bruce.

Within the hour, Superman returned to Midway to see Hawkgirl waiting for him above the city. "All right, lead the way." said Shayera when she saw Superman coming over to her direction.

Superman smiled and said, "Hold on." He pressed on the communicator in his ear and said, "Ok, we're ready." Shayera was confused and wondered what was about to happen when she felt a chill run down her entire body. One moment she was above Midway City and the next moment she was in an air-conditioned room that held several computers on the wall. She balked and flew upwards, trying to find out where she was taken.

"Relax Hawkgirl," she heard Batman say from above. She noticed that she was originally standing on a platform and saw outside the window to see stars, but… it was only mid-afternoon. Shayera flew up to where Bruce was standing and looked out the window. She gasped as she realized that they were in space. They were orbiting outside the planet as though it were a moon.

"H-How?" asked Shayera.

"Wayne Enterprises had been working on several satellite prototypes for the last two years. This Watchtower is just another prototype that is buried beneath the paperwork by a friend name Lucius Fox." explained Batman. Shayera looked at the stars in wonder. She had seen many down in Earth whenever she was feeling restless and flew out into the National Park. This was something extraordinary. She looked out past the Earth though and up into the stars. Somehow she felt that she was at least a little closer to home. Batman noticed her look and said, "Wayne Enterprises is still working on the Deep Space Communicator. It had taken us ten years to work through the initial blueprints, but I'm sure we'll be able to work on it faster." Shayera smiled at his words and said, "You don't have to do anything Bruce. I've accepted long ago that perhaps maybe I was meant to be here. I miss my home and family yes, but I've moved on as I'm sure they've moved on." Bruce offered her a rare smile in comfort and said, "You'll always have a home with us."

"This must have cost a fortune!" cried out the voice of the Flash. He zoomed by Batman and Hawkgirl with a cup of what smelled like coffee. "The kitchen is fully stocked too!" Diana had walked in while Flash was talking, taking a sip of her own cup.

She gave a small satisfied sigh and said, "They don't have these on Themyscira." Flash zoomed next to her and said, "Stick with me babe and I can show you plenty of things they don't have on Themyscira." Shayera had to roll her eyes when Diana innocently replied, "I would love that." She needed to take Diana on first hand look of this world filled with men if she wasn't going back to Themyscira.

"This is marvelous." she heard the Green Lantern's voice call out from above. Shayera looked up to see the Green Lantern and J'onn J'onnz join the group as Superman walked over to them as well.

"So," said Shayera, "Is there a reason why you called us all together?" Superman seemed to hesitate when all eyes were on him and said, "I always thought I could protect this world all by myself. But I realize now that there is only one of me. Even a superman can't be in two places at once. I called you all in together to see if you would like to participate in helping me protect our world."

"So what? Kind of like a Superfriends?" joked the Flash.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a Justice League." smiled Superman.

"I'm in." said the Flash.

"As am I." said Diana.

"Same here." said Green Lantern.

"I will join as well." said J'onn J'onnz.

Everybody stared at Hawkgirl and Batman who have yet to say anything. Hawkgirl had been staring out into the stars while Batman was looking at them speculatively.

"Batman? Hawkgirl? You in?" asked Superman. Batman thought it over and said, "I won't participate in as much missions, but give me a call when it's necessary… and stay out of Gotham." Superman just smiled at Batman's predictable words and said, "Hawkgirl?"

Shayera thought it over quickly. On one hand, she is going to be juggling her time on Midway to participating in protecting the entire planet. In another, she got to understand more of this planet rather than what's beyond the usual territory of Midway and Gotham. There was also the promise she had made to Harley to always be available whenever she calls and to keep their partnership a secret from everybody else. Shayera was sure however that she would be able to make it work.

"I'll do it, but you must remain outside of Midway in the meantime. Commissioner Emmett is very vocal about allowing… heroes in the city." said Shayera.

"He lets you in." said the Flash, not liking that there was another city he was initially banned from going to.  
"I work under him though. I do not go around Midway performing my own brand of justice. Everything I do in Midway is under the training and guidance I received by the Midway City Police Department." explained Shayera. Superman nodded his head and said, "Understood. So I guess we're a team then."

 **Hey what's up readers? I finally finished the Justice League intro chapter. I want to know what you guys think of the changes I made to Shayera's character and the story so far. I really want to know what you guys think. Future chapters are going to be episodes from the TV series and as you've noticed, I made Shayera become an unofficial member of the Suicide Squad. Why? Because I'm so freaking excited for the movie that I must write something about it. Who should I pair Harley with and should I make the chapters more Shayera-centric? Thanks again and please review :3**


	11. Author's NoteShayera Pairing

Hey readers, I promised I wouldn't be that type of writer where I use chapters for an author's note but I am in a serious pickle. Who should I pair shayera with? I want to stick with the Green Lantern but I honestly find it easier now to write a Bruce and Shayera pairing. I now some people like the GL/HG pairing, trust me I love them too. But should I stick with keeping it as a Green Lantern and Hawkgirl pairing or should I completely put it as a Batman and Hawkgirl pairing? I'll take this chapter down once I have a clear view of what you guys want. Until then, thank you :)


	12. In Blackest Night

_In Blackest Night_

Shayera watched in amusement as the Flash zoomed in and out of his Watchtower quarters. One of the agreements the whole team has made was that they were going to take turns over Monitor Duty and they needed a place to rest while taking turns watching over the Earth. It was Shayera and Flash's draw that made them the first honorary participants. The Flash had taken to his new quarters with feeling and had begun to move some of his things inside his 'space room'. Shayera watched him place posters of movies and bands on his wall while he placed handmade quilts on his bed. He put pictures up of himself accepting rewards and just spending time with children. Shayera had to smile at his enthusiasm and noted that he often liked to act like a child rather than an adult. Perhaps it had to do with his vigilante duties. Shayera has heard of his Rogues Gallery that were made up of strange yet deadly villains, such a man who calls himself Captain Boomerang and another who calls himself Captain Cold.

Shayera thought over her own set of villains but realized that after handing them over to ARGUS, she never had to deal with them again. It's been five years since she had last seen Lion Mane after all. Other super-powered beings such as El Diablo, Hummingbird, or even Jonathan Cheval, who had broken out of prison and had returned to Midway to exact revenge on the Police Department and on Hawkgirl, had been given to ARGUS and were never seen again after getting arrested by ARGUS. Shayera had tried to find information on ARGUS using the Absorbascon but to her amazement and bafflement, the Absorbascon only informs her of the history of Belle Reve and the purpose of it. No records or prisoner information was available. For the first time ever since crash-landing here on Earth, the Absorbascon wasn't able to decrypt the firewall that was housed in Belle Reve.

Shayera hoped that Harley hasn't become another non-existent villain that disappeared over time. It was only Harley's nightly talks with Shayera that calmed her nerves that Harley hasn't disappeared. Harley calls her 'Sarah' in their talks and Shayera knows that the guards in Belle Reve just assume that Harley is insane enough to be talking to herself. Shayera never would have thought that her friendship with Harley would have grown over the nights they talked with each other. Most of the time, Shayera remains silent during Harley's rambles knowing that the other woman needed to speak her mind freely.

The Flash had just finished unpacking his final things when they walked back to the monitoring room. The sight of J'onn J'onnz who was observing the planet on the Monitoring Deck greeted them… or at least it appeared he was observing the Earth. Shayera and Flash looked at him and noticed he seemed to be in deep concentration and his eyes glowed orange as though he was in deep thought. The Flash waved his hands in front J'onn to snap him out of whatever he was doing and Shayera found it rude and said, "Stop it. Leave him be."

They both walked to their designated chairs and began to look through the computer screens for signs of any serious threats that required their attention. Batman had made it clear that they were to look for big threats and not small ones like petty theft… those were crimes that can be handled by the police. Emmett had said the same thing the day she had announced to him that she was going to be joining the 'Justice League' as Flash so lovingly calls it. He had understood her reasoning in joining a team such as the one Superman had put together and had informed Shayera that most of the new technology that had been given to Midway as thanks by ARGUS was enough for them to handle large criminals. Shayera had promised that she will still reside in Midway and will still be a part of the Midway City Police Department. Emmett had been pleased by Shayera's dedication to the Police Force and Kendra and Alice had been over the moon when Shayera had described the Watchtower to her. Grubs had initial feelings over the Watchtower, finding that a fortified satellite in space can bring cause to worry. Shayera had assured him that the Watchtower's main purpose was to keep the Earth safe and to be an early warning system in case that another group of invaders came to Earth. She had done a press conference for Midway City and had informed the public who held the same fears as Grubs. She promised Midway City that the formation of the team and the presence of the Watchtower were to protect the Earth. Midway City reacted favorably to the news and was more appeased to learn that the Watchtower was just a satellite and not a weapon. Shayera had given them her word as a police officer, a protector, and as the representative of Midway in the newly formed Justice League… Shayera could only hope though to be a good model.

As Shayera and Flash monitored the Earth below a computer screen, a flashing light caught Shayera's eyes. It seems that a hard drive needed to be replaced before Shayera or Flash could continue to monitor the Earth. Shayera went to the source of the problem to see that one of the multiple hard drives that supported the computers had fried up and Shayera removed it carefully so as to not damage the other hard drives.

"What happened?" asked Flash as he zipped next to Shayera to see the damage.

"Nothing but a quick replacement can't fix," said Shayera as she showed Flash the burned drive, "Would you mind going to the storage and look for a replacement?" She gave Flash the drive to use and he zipped to the storage rooms and looked for the drive. Once he found one, he compared the damaged one to the new one and deemed it to be the same and zoomed back to give Shayera the new drive. As Shayera was putting the drive back in, she heard Flash ask, "So you were really a cop back in your home world?"

"I was a Captain in the Thanagarian Law Enforcement. I was chasing down a pirate when I crash-landed here on Earth." explained Shayera, wanting to be as open as possible to her new teammates and not wanting to give them any reason not to trust her.

"So then you're here alone? No way to go back?" asked Flash, suddenly feeling pity for his new member. Shayera glanced over to the Flash and said, "I've learned to accept that returning home would be a near impossibility. This is a very large universe and I don't even recognize any of the numerous galaxies that are nearby to yours. I've learned to move on from my situation as I'm sure my family has back home."

"Family, huh? Did you have any siblings?" asked Flash, curious about the normally quiet and often lonely member of the team.

"I have a younger brother named Hektar. You kind of remind me of him a little bit. He always liked to show off his abilities in a good way," she said with a smile as she remembered her brother, "He was graduating to the Academy the last I saw of him."

"What's the Academy?" asked Flash, curious about the systems of other worlds.

"It's a school to train the next generation of scientists, engineers, military recruits, and law enforcement recruits. We start our training early now that we have been at war with the Gordanians for decades now." explained Shayera.

"What are Gordanians?" asked Flash.

"Monsters: Destroyers of planets and eradicators of races. If you do not bow to them, then you have no purpose to live in their empire. My world has been at war with them since my parents' childhood years and I don't see it stopping at anytime." said Shayera wistfully, wondering how her life would have been different if she had joined the military like her childhood friends.

"Is it just your planet verses them?"

"No, we have allies in the Tamaranians, the Voxes, and the planet Raan. Thanagar is just the first line of defense. If we fall before we can help Tamaran, Vox, and Raan get ready for war then our entire galaxy is doomed to bow to the Gordanians." explained the scary reality to Flash. He looked a little pale as she finished explaining and Shayera hopes that he and his planet never have to endure a total war with an empire as merciless as the Gordanians. Shayera finished placing the drive in the compartment and flipped the computer switch to test it. Once it began running smoothly, they both sat back down in their chairs intent to finish their responsibility.

" _Psst. Hey Sarah, want to know a secret_?" Shayera heard in her mask. She remained neutral as she continued with her monitoring duty but paid attention to what Harley had to say. There were times where her babbles contained merit and she wanted to see where this was going.

" _So after they 'trained' me today, I think I have a very high pain tolerance_ ," said Harley, laughing as she continued to explain, " _Because I think it just turns me on even more than it did with my time with puddin'_." Shayera managed to stop the snort that almost escaped her nose and managed to keep a neutral face so as not to show that she was communicating with someone. Shayera listened to Harley's babbles, often at times almost nodding off to sleep when Harley talked about what she had for breakfast and lunch. Whatever Amanda Waller has in Belle Reve had better be extremely top secret if the Absorbascon can't hack into the firewall. Whoever constructed the Firewall must be knowledgeable in alien technology otherwise the Absorbascon would have managed to get through the firewall.

Shayera had no time to ponder her thoughts however when she heard Flash groan in frustration. She looked over to the speedster to see that he had pushed his head back against the chair and was staring at the ceiling.

"This is sooo boring!" he complained as they continued to monitor the Earth.

"It is what it is." said Shayera simply, recalling the words from when Commissioner Emmett had told Kendra the same words whenever she complained about her duties. Flash gave her an irritated look and said, "You must be pretty used to this aren't you?"

"I trained to be a police officer ever since I was twelve. I became a police officer at sixteen and I had reached my rank as Captain not even a year later. I am very much used to doing what you humans call 'desk-duty' in my early years." explained Shayera.

"You've been a police officer in training since you were a kid?" Flash asked disbelievingly. Shayera gave an amused smile as she remembered that his reaction is a perfect replication of Emmett's reaction when she had revealed that bit of her life.

"Remember, Thanagar is at war. We cannot afford to have everybody 'having fun' as you would say. I had a childhood like everyone else here on Earth, but we needed to grow up and face the world sometime." said Shayera.

"Yeah, but I mean… what about stuff like dating? Late night parties? Smoking your first cigarette?" asked the Flash, understanding that while Hawkgirl had a childhood, she didn't have a teen hood.

"In Thanagar, courtship is a serious life decision that shows that you are willing to commit in a relationship for the long run. We don't have the luxury of 'dating' possible partners because it goes against our tradition. We believe that friendship is the first step towards a courtship, then comes the courtship and then comes the marriage." explained Shayera.

"Really? So friendship would count as dating?"

"No, it would count as knowing the person better. I have seen a close friend of mine go through her steps of courtship with her now husband. They were friends first before it grew into a love that had grown."

"So you guys don't do arranged marriages then?"

"Absolutely not. We are a race of freedom and fairness. Why take away the simplest right to choose who you want to spend your life with away?"

"Yeah, that makes sense. But really what about dances and prom? High School drama?"

"Much of what I have seen in High school drama I am rather glad we don't have in Thanagar. As for dances, we have festivals that celebrate our history and heritage."

"Oh, ok. Thanagar sure is a strange place."

"Much can be said about Earth." retorted Shayera with a smile as she remembered all the new experiences she had experienced since crash-landing on Earth. Flash laughed at her answer and said, "So was there a Hawkboy before crash-landing here?" Shayera gave a genuine laugh at his question and said, "No. I was a dedicated officer of the law, which meant I had no time to build any type of relationships with anyone. My childhood friends all chose to join the military so we drifted apart after we picked our careers."

"Huh, so is this why—" he was cut off by the sight of a multiple meteors speeding by the Watchtower and heading towards the Earth.

"OK! TIME IN TO CALL IT IN!" yelled the Flash as he pressed on the communicator link up. Unfortunately he was receiving busy calls from almost all.

"Where is everyone?!" cried out the Flash as he and Hawkgirl raced to the teleportation platform.

"They all have their own separate missions to fulfill." said the voice of J'onn from above them. He floated down to the platform as Flash zoomed up to the deck and typed in the coordinates of the location of the small meteors. The three found themselves in a city and people running away from where they can hear metallic stomping.

"Where are we?" asked Shayera.

"Detroit, and I think we're dealing with more than just meteors." said Flash as he pointed towards five large robotic men that were stomping their way towards them. Shayera unclipped her mace and unleashed her talon hand as they approached the group. J'onn stepped forward and asked, "What is your business here?"

"We are the Manhunters. We are here to retrieve John Stewart the Green Lantern." stated one of the Manhunters.

"Like hell you are." said the Flash as zoomed in front of the Manhunter in an attempt to stop them from advancing into the city.

"You will not stop us from our mission. The Manhunters always gets their man." said the Manhunter where he produced a staff and swiped at the head of Flash and knocked him into the building. J'onn and Shayera immediately got into the defensive and avoided getting hit by the staffs. Shayera had managed to swipe the staff of one Manhunter in half with her talon hand and knocked him back with her mace. Shayera had managed to dodge a thrown car in her direction when she heard J'onn give a cry of pain. He had been handling his fights very well so Shayera hadn't been too worried. She turned to see that J'onn had been on the receiving end of the staff's electrical end and had fallen stunned on the floor. Shayera made a move to help him when she received her own electric shock from a Manhunter. Sadly for the Manhunter, Shayera had a high tolerance for electricity and absorbed the power in her mace and knocked him back. With the added power and energy, Shayera swiftly flew up high before diving down and performing a perfect last minute pull to fly her way through the Manhunters as though they were bowling pins.

The Flash had managed to revive from his earlier knockout and sped his way to quickly round up the fallen Manhunters. Four of the Manhunters were soon pressed back to back against each other with wires the Flash had pulled from a construction site two miles out. The lone Manhunter was dealing with Shayera, proving to be a more admirable foe. Shayera had managed to dodge his kick when his unseen jab knocked her back into a parked car. The Flash sped his way to her and managed to carry her to safety when the Manhunter had attempted to blast the dazed heroine.

Shayera quickly regained her senses and flew out of the Flash's arms and stayed in the air. She was about to fly down and help J'onn fight against the Manhunter when a rush of wind flew by her. Shayera never would have thought to have felt relief when she saw Superman knock the Manhunter back into the street. Shayera flew down next to Superman as J'onn and Flash joined them.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had to deal with Parasite. What's going on?" asked Superman. Flash quickly filled in the details to Superman as all five Manhunters regrouped and stood on one side of the street while the Justice League members stood on the other. It was a stand off that created a tension felt by everyone who had bravely stayed to watch the fight. Shayera made sure not to be the one to move first. She had been in enough stand offs during her time as a Thanagarian Law Officer to know that it was sometimes better for the law if the opponent struck first. A Manhunter grew tired of waiting and rushed forward, followed by its companions. Shayera and the others stood still and braced themselves for impact when a green barrier was suddenly between the two groups. Shayera looked for the source and saw John Stewart flying towards them.

"Are you John Stewart, The Green Lantern?" said one of the Manhunters.

"I am." confirmed John.

"Hand over the ring and you're hereby under arrest by the Intergalactic Court of Ajuris 5." said the Manhunter and to Shayera's astonishment, he actually gave his ring up.

"Hold on," she said and as swiftly as the Flash she had taken the ring out of the Manhunter's hand. The Manhunter gave her a look of pure loathing and made a move to attack her but Shayera quickly demanded, "I would like to see a proper warrant for arrest and I would also like for the Intergalactic Court of Ajuris 5 to present their treaty with the United States of America and the United World's nations in order to properly arrest said 'fugitive'. If you do not present the proper paperwork, then you will creating controversy for not only yourselves but for your employers as well."

If anyone was expecting the normally tough and violent member of the Justice League to demand proper documentation in order to stop what would have been a superhero brawl in Downtown Detroit, then only one person was not surprised while everyone else stared at her with mouths agape.

Shayera wished she had a camera for the look on the Lantern and Flash's face. J'onn was stoic as ever but she can see his raised eyes as a gesture of shock. Superman, who had already known that Hawkgirl was as strict on her police training than her fighting, was the only one who wasn't focused on her. He was looking at the Manhunters as though daring to try and create a galactic controversy. The Manhunters were glaring at Shayera with much hate but one stepped forward and said, "We will return with the warrant and we will be presenting it to your United World's Nation Assembly."

With that, the Manhunters launched themselves into space and ensuring that the League had time to prepare for their eventual return. The Flash zoomed next to Shayera and said, "You're kinda scary when you go into cop-mode." Shayera gave him a smirk and teased, "That's only because you're a vigilante." The remaining League Members began to clean up the city and once the damages had been taken care of, they teleported back to the Watchtower. Shayera had been hoping to relax for a bit before getting back into the business of the Intergalactic Court wanting to imprison the Lantern, but it seemed he had another idea when he rounded on her and began to shout, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

Shayera had jumped in surprise at his outburst but her quick temper took over and she shouted back, "I WAS THINKING THAT YOU WERE IN TROUBLE!"

"I didn't need your help and I certainly didn't ask for it!" said John, composing himself as he continued to argue against Hawkgirl.

"No, you really do need help. Why would you give yourself up for arrest? What did you do?" demanded Shayera, getting very irritated with this human man.

"That is none of your business."

"It is our business when you have hunters coming to Earth and begin to cause damage."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have started the fight! You've caused nothing but more trouble for this planet just by demanding them to get a treaty and a warrant! What were you thinking!?" Shayera felt her temper rise dramatically as she glared at the Lantern.

"Uhhh, John? That fight was actually my bad." said the Flash, not wanting Hawkgirl to be blamed for his actions. The Lantern though wasn't paying attention and Shayera glared at the man with a newfound feeling of dislike. It wasn't quite hate, but she knew that she will not be able to get along with this man at all.

"No, I don't have to explain myself to you if you are weak enough not to fight for yourself."

"What did you say about me?"

"You heard me."

Shayera and John glared at each other with so much anger and dislike that the others were starting to feel uncomfortable in their presence. Shayera was restraining herself with great effort as she wanted to smash her mace in John's face but instead said, "Why were they arresting you?"

John glared at Hawkgirl while he heard Superman say behind him, "Why were they arresting you, John? We are your friends, we can help." Feeling the others looking at him in expectation while Hawkgirl continued to glare at him, John sighed and stopped his glaring match to sit down in the computer chairs.

"During one of my missions with the Green Lanterns, we were stopping an illegal weapons trade that was causing many incidents in the Ajuris 5 area. I was chasing down a thug in space and I shot a blast at him with my ring. He dodged but the blast… I couldn't stop it," said the Lantern as he placed his head in his hands and continued to explain his story, "the blast went into a volcano of a nearby planet… it activated the chamber and it caused a worldwide eruption… the planet exploded."

John rubbed his head to ease the headache that was coming while the others looked at him with pity and sadness. Shayera closed her eyes to calm her temper and her hurt while she thought of a way to help the Lantern. Many things have been said between them, but he was her teammate and she was going to help him. Shayera looked at the others and said, "Let's go."

"Where?" asked Flash.

"Investigate. We need to find a way to keep the Manhunters from coming back." said Shayera as she walked towards the hangars where she knew Bruce had left new space travel vehicles at their disposal. With the help of Shayera's knowledge in basic spacecraft, Wayne Enterprises was able to create and donate the space vehicles for the Justice League to use at their disposal. Lucius Fox had made it a point to emphasize how Wayne Enterprises was behind the construction of the Watchtower and donated it to the Justice League, earning the company positive feedback and an increase of business.

"Look, what happened has happened. I was willing to turn myself over in order to receive the punishment that I deserve." said John, not believing it when everybody began to move towards the hangar.

"All I want to do is survey the crime scene. For all we know, it could have been another Lantern that caused the eruptions." said Shayera, not believing that this human man was so willing to receive punishment without a proper defense.

"Look, I—" but whatever he was going to say was cut short when Hawkgirl rounded on him and lifted her mace so it was seen and said, "—I'm about ready to knock you into next Tuesday if the next words out of your mouth is about how you don't believe your worthy of a defense." John stared at her wide-eyed before giving a sigh and jumping on board in the ship. There wasn't much he can do really when she still had his ring. As everybody strapped themselves in, Superman pulled Hawkgirl to the side and said, "There were a lot of things that went wrong just earlier, but I'm glad you took initiative." Hawkgirl smiled at him and said, "I think we managed to break down some barriers."

The flight into open space was something that Shayera was honestly excited for. Five years since she had been behind the wheel of a spacecraft and here she was again, going out into open space just like she did back on Thanagar. Bruce had warned Shayera though that the metal used in the ships might be able to withstand the harshness of space, Earth metal was not durable against the harshness of warp drive and the engines can only go so far into space. Shayera had assured Bruce that she was truly learning how to let go of her homesickness and that she had already adopted Earth as her permanent home. Sometimes for a burly and broody man, Bruce was a true gem out of many. Shayera shook her head in order to stop her thoughts from getting even more 'mushy' as Kendra would say.

Shayera was navigating the ship while J'onn and Superman asked John more questions about his apparent hand in the destruction of the planet while the Flash stood next to Shayera, watching as she guided the large spacecraft with little to no effort.

"You must have done a lot of flying in space huh?" asked Flash as Shayera weaved the craft with skill between the asteroid belt.

"On Thanagar it's required that you endure the harshness of space travel before permitting you to fly out into space. Our weather on Thanagar can be described like trying to survive within a comet during our winter cycle. On our summer cycle, the air is humid and flying is the only way to keep your body temperature leveled." said Shayera, not knowing why it was easy to talk with the speedster. With Bruce, she was assured of his silence but with the Flash it was as though they had been friends for a long time. Shayera knew it was Wallace West under the mask just as she knew it was Clark Kent behind the Superman. It wasn't difficult to discover their 'secret identities' using the Absorbascon. The Flash would often forget that a camera was stationed near the police station he worked in as a Forensics analyst whenever he needed to change. Shayera knew that his uncle Barry was the one ensuring that the video feed was erased. As for Clark Kent, even Shayera questioned the logic that wearing a suit and glasses can provide a secure identity.

It was about a few hours when they reached the Ajuris 5 sector. Shayera was no stranger to being exposed t different alien races, but this was the first time she had been in a very diverse environment. She could see outside the window the many different races that were minding their own business. Shayera turned to look at John and was glad she still had his ring. He was dressed in civilian clothing and at least he did not resemble a Green Lantern. Shayera held on to his ring tightly, knowing that if she wasn't careful then the idiot would try to make an escape. They landed on a docking platform and they left the ship, ready to start their investigation.

Shayera and J'onn flew towards an open store while Superman and Flash stayed to keep an eye on the antsy Lantern. Shayera had to roll her eyes at the lightweight but she figured that rebelling against the system is something a soldier isn't comfortable with doing. She and J'onn walked into the store and saw a lone cashier standing behind a counter. Shayera walked up to him and asked, "Hello, my partner and I are conducting an investigation regarding a planet and a Lantern."

"Yeah? Ajuris 4 was only a bystander of a battle that the Lanterns should have ended. I'm glad that the court has sent out Manhunters to find him, he deserves whatever punishment is being handed to him." said the clerk. Shayera and J'onn looked at each other briefly before returning to the ship to find Superman holding John to the chair.

"What's going on?" asked Shayera.

"He tried to flag down the police to arrest him! I was lucky enough to convince them that he's not right in the head." said the Flash irritated at the near turn of events.

"I could have vouched for you if I had been there," said Shayera while ignored John's glare, "We're going to the Ajuris 4 location."

"Why? There's nothing there." said John, defeated. Shayera rolled her eyes at his self-pity and said, "Knock it off. We're going."

The flight to Ajuris 4 was short and Shayera maneuvered through the asteroid bits of what was once a planet. She found a moon to land in and everybody put on full body suits, including John when Shayera refused to return he ring to him. They went out to the moon and looked up to see the remains of Ajuris 4. John looked away in shame while Shayera pondered a quick thought.

"Flash, can you still use your speed in space?" asked Shayera.

"Sure I can. What do you need me to do?" asked Flash.

"I want you to quickly run cover over this entire planet. I want to see if there is anything on this moon." said Shayera. The Flash gave a quick salute and sped away to inspect the entire moon.

"This is a moon, right?" asked Superman. Shayera looked over to the Man of Steel and nodded her head in affirmation seeing that he had the same idea as she did.

"I don't see why that's so important." said John.

"You're a moron. A moon is a satellite," explained Shayera, "And a satellite orbits." She watched as comprehension dawned on his face.

"Then that means…" he said as he finally understood what was going on.

"This moon is orbiting a planet that shouldn't exist." confirmed Superman. The Flash came back to the group and said, "I found something that's just less than a mile from here."

They followed him to a cavern where they saw a machine on the bottom. They all made their way towards it and J'onn inspected the contraption with Shayera while the other three took guard. Whoever left this machine running in the bottom of a cavern is sure to check up on it periodically.

"It's a hologram projector." said J'onn as he turned the machine off. A light that was originally flashing from on top of the machine turned off and they all watched as the debris floating in space disappeared and a planet was seen. John felt immense relief that the planet was still ok and that he wasn't responsible for the death of millions.

"We need to clear your name buddy." said Flash.

"We need evidence first though." said Superman. Like that, he lifted the machine with little effort and they all made their way back to the ship. Once they arrived back on their ship, Shayera gave Lantern his ring back now that they all know the truth.

"Hawkgirl… listen. I'm… I'm sorry, for everything that I said. I didn't want to believe that I deserved any form of mercy but… thank you." said John, stumbling over his words. Shayera gave him a small smile and said, "I'm sorry too."

"Listen, now that we are all good friends again, how are we going to get this machine to Ajuris 5?" asked Flash. John smiled at the kid and with his ring, formed a bubble around himself and the machine. The other four got into their ship and flew back to Ajuris 5. They made quite the spectacle in the courthouse where the Manhunters and the judges look in shock as the Earthlings, the Martian, and the Thanagarian crashed the court process. What really made things tense was when his fellow Lanterns confronted John. John had a stare down with them as they hung insults and accusations at him, all but one large pink fellow. Shayera flew in between John and the Lanterns and said, "You all have a problem to pick? Do it after the trial. Meanwhile I'd suggest you look out the window before you start accusing people of blowing up worlds."

"Lady you don't scare us." said one of the Lanterns, a pink ball with eyes.

"You should be."

"Please, you against the rings of the Green Lanterns? You have no chance."

"What is the meaning of this?!" yelled one of the judges. Superman took over the helm at this point and presented the case that took only five minutes to present.

"Bring in the witness!" yelled one of the judges. An insect-like humanoid alien was brought in with handcuffs and he shivered in his feet when asked why he had lied about the Lantern blowing up a planet. When the witness couldn't bring up a proper defense on his part, he was asked if he had been working with anyone else.

"T-T-The M-Manhunters!" he cried out. This brought about a wave of gasps in the audience and the judges immediately acquired the help of the present Green Lanterns to hunt down the Manhunters. The Justice League helped John in his mission and began to investigate all around Ajuris 5. Shayera and Flash had taken one part of the main street while Superman, J'onn and John flew high above the city to determine where the wayward robots went.

"John Stewart." said a voice behind John. He turned to see the little blue aliens known as the Guardians approach him.

"You have shown great initiative today, John Stewart. The ring has chosen wisely." said the leader of the group.

"Uhh thanks," said John, "Look, I mean no disrespect but the Manhunters are loose and—"

"What? You must find them John Stewart!" cried out one of the Guardians in fear.

"What is it?"

"The Manhunters! They were our first attempt to create a galactic police force, but unfortunately they were a bit excessive in their force. We gave them to the Intergalactic Council in order to appease their nature, but we have always feared that one day they will go rogue." explained the leader. John was surprised at this new information but he quickly informed the League of the possible destination of the Manhunters. They made their way to Oa, the Green Lanterns' planet to find that the Manhunters are already on the assault on the fortress.

Shayera sneered when she saw the lead Manhunter, the largest of them all and the same one that had tried to blast her to ash on Earth, run into the building and John followed after him. She quickly jumped out of the ship and began to fight back, helping other Lanterns along the way. The battle was intense and Shayera had to help protect the Flash along the way. Super speed doesn't mean that the kid had excellent balance and stability whenever he runs. Shayera needed to help him fix that problem.

Manhunters had tried to swarm over Shayera, but with her mace, she managed to knock them all off their feet and proceeded to fight again. This was a stressful battle as the Manhunters proved to be enduring but it all came to an end when she heard Stewart cry out,

" _In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night_

 _No Evil Shall Escape my Sight_

 _Let Those Who Worship Evil's Might_

 _Beware My Power, Green Lanterns Light!_ "

All the Manhunters were shut down and Shayera assumed it had to do with the leader's end. John Stewart flew towards them newly recharged and healed and Shayera was actually relieved to see he had survived his fight. The others cheered at their victory and Shayera was half-tempted to join them when she heard Harley in her ear say, "So Sarah. Had a nice night? I've been trying to get this itch off my back but Waller says I still need to 'prove my worth' to her if I want out of the straight jacket. So my day so far has been-"

Harley continued to talk to Shayera, much to her amusement, and made no sign of stopping until she yawned and bid Shayera a good night. Shayera reminded herself to investigate Belle Reve better in order to determine whether Harley was safe or not. She still felt uneasy whenever she brought up her current situation.

The Lanterns had wanted to celebrate and took all of them to Ajuris 5 where they sat in a bar and began to drink and tell tales. Much to everybody's amusement, Shayera proved to be a real heavy drinker when she drank her way through more than five liters of alcohol.

"You don't feel sick or slushed at all?" questioned Flash.

"Please," snorted Shayera, "This is watered down to the point where I can barely taste the actual alcohol."

"You know, I hope you forgive us for the slight we gave you earlier." said one of the Lanterns, Galius Zed. Shayera drank her sixth liter of alcohol when she turned to Galius and said, "I'm still annoyed that you think with your ring everything can be solved."

A scoff from another Lantern, Arkiss Chummuck, brought Shayera's attention to him as he said, "Lady, we can take you without our rings." Shayera narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Oh yeah?" She threw her mace down on the table and unclipped her talon hand. She removed her primary armor until she was only in her tracksuit with her mask.

"Bring it." she said, mocking him into a fight. Arkiss narrowed his eyes at her but removed his ring and launched himself at her. Shayera quickly dodged his punch and with an uppercut, sent him flying into Galius. The two Lanterns launched themselves against Shayera and she quickly flew up and body slammed down on top of them. Pretty soon, it was five on one and Shayera was having the best time of her life. She took advantage of the Lanterns' dependency on the ring to win her fights and pretty soon a brawl had erupted in the bar. Superman, J'onn, Flash, and John watched with amusement as Shayera laughed when she was pushed against the wall but she recovered by delivering a swift kick up in the jaws of her assailant.

"She's having way too much fun with this." said Flash. Just as he finished his sentence though, a random punch hit him in the jaw, prompting him to growl and join the fray. The other three remained in their seats just watching the fight go on, only having to intervene when Superman received a call from Batman, who needed Hawkgirl's assistance. After pulling Hawkgirl and Flash out of the fight, they were amused to note that while not drunk, Shayera was a bit tipsy after receiving many blows to the head while the Flash was having a hard time remaining upright. John helped Flash into the ship while J'onn waited for Shayera to re-equip her armor, mace, and talon hand. On their way to the ship, J'onn asked, "Why do you wear a mask all the time?"

"It's a tradition and a cultural law on Thanagar that only family is allowed to see your face. Taking it off in public would be equivalent to dressing down nude." explained Shayera.  
"So no one has seen your face on Earth?" asked Superman.

"Not true. I have been… adopted you can say by Commissioner Emmett and his family. I often remove my mask whenever I visit them in their homes, but if visitors are there I leave the mask on." explained Shayera as they strapped themselves in their seats and J'onn took over as driver.

"Would you mind if I used X-Ray vision?"

"You can do that?"

"Yes."

Shayera hesitated for a bit, but decided to see just how powerful his x-ray vision is and said, "Ok, but try anything inappropriate and I'll shove you out of the airlock."

Superman merely smiled at her threat and tried to use his x-ray vision on her but was surprised that he couldn't see past the mask.  
"What is your armor made of?" he asked. Again, Shayera hesitated. She had kept the secrets of Nth Metal and the metals of Thanagar for so long while on Earth, but she decided not to indulge that bit of information with Superman and said, "I don't know which type of metal, but it's the same kind used in our weapons."

The ride back to the Watchtower was quiet and everybody enjoyed their tour of the stars. Shayera sighed as she dreamed of Thanagar and closed her eyes, intending to sleep in a few hours before she went on a mission with Bruce. Her dreams swirled in mind as colors clashed behind her eyes. Shayera was pleasantly happy when images of dark wings took over her mind and the blue sea of eyes stared at her in her dreamland, willing for her to come to him.

 **So based on the polls, Batman had won the eventual draw. Fret not though GL fans, because of your insistence on a GL/HG fiction, I am already in the works of creating one. Anyways, what did you like about this chapter, what did you think about Shayera and Flash's friendship and her bumpy friendship with the Green Lanterns? Next chapter I will still leave it Shayera-centric but this time the story will be told through Bruce's eyes in order to build the relationship. Also if you guys are looking for more Shayera/Harley friendship, I'd suggest reading AC333's Suicide Squad story. Thanks again and please review, I'd like to hear what you would like to read in future chapters.**


	13. Fear the Knight

_Fear the Knight_

"Master Bruce, perhaps you should contact Miss Shayera for this particular case. Miss Gordon is busy with Miss Kara in Metropolis and Masters Tim and Richard are out in their missions." said Alfred as he served Bruce tea. Bruce was looking at the screens with intensity as though he was hoping just glaring at it would solve the crime. Scarecrow had escaped from Arkham weeks ago and it was only just now that he had sprung up from the shadows, this time with the remnants of the Bertinelli Crime Family backing him up. Bruce had half a mind to bring in Helena Bertinelli into this case, but her fighting style and her attitude all together was enough to convince Bruce that she will not hold back and will not follow orders.

"Alright. Let's hope that she's available." said Bruce as he pressed on a button in the computer and waited for Shayera to reply. It was after the third try that Bruce began to feel worry. Shayera was never one to not answer and if she was busy then she would have said so. Bruce tried again but no answer. Bruce held the panic in and decided to contact Superman.

"Batman?" said Superman through the communicator.

"Superman. Where's Hawkgirl?"

"Having a brawl." chuckled Superman.

"What?"

"We just completed an investigation regarding the Green Lanterns and they invited us to a bar to celebrate. Long story short, Hawkgirl and Flash are now in bar brawl."

"Flash? Who else is there?" asked Bruce.

"It's me, Lantern, J'onn, Hawkgirl and Flash. Was there something you needed Batman?" asked Superman. "I need Hawkgirl to report to Gotham immediately. I have a unique case I need help with."

"We're a few hours away from Earth though. How immediate do you need her?"

"Now."

"…Alright, we're on our way."

Bruce was about to cut the connection when he heard the familiar war cry of Shayera in background, followed by a grunt of pain from whomever she had hit. Bruce cut the feed and smiled in amusement. He had a few hours to kill before Shayera arrived and he decided to take in a couple of hours of rest before getting the mission underway. Bruce walked down the hallways of Wayne Manor and out of everything that he could have thought of, his thoughts went to the winged heroine that had crash-landed into his life five years ago. He never would have thought that she would have made such an impact on his life and the others for that matter.

For one, Tim over the years had grown accustomed to seeing Shayera as perfect mother figure. Shayera had helped Bruce train Tim and had shown him several fighting techniques that proved beneficial when Tim was out on patrol with Bruce. Another impact was how content Alfred was when Shayera had made her visits to Gotham. Bruce figured it had to be because how attentive Shayera was with his stories. Bruce often tried to pay attention to Alfred's stories, but with his time as Bruce Wayne and as the Batman he had little to no time. Shayera was lucky to have no dual identity to live so she often had time to spare for Alfred. Bruce could think of her arrival as a positive boost in business. Even with her small knowledge regarding space travel and engineering, Shayera had given mankind a giant leap into the future. Not even Superman could say the same when he holds all his scientific knowledge of Krypton close to his chest. Humankind is now one step closer in opening up communications with the nearby life forms that inhabit their galaxy… but that remains to be certain if it will be a negative or positive situation.

Shayera had certainly proved to be a surprising individual. In one hand, you'd expect her to be rough as sandpaper but in another moment she shows softness he had only ever seen directed at himself and his family or her friends in Midway. Shayera was only showing a front to the League, not daring to show any of the vulnerability she is able to express from beneath the mask. His walk to his room was spent so much in thinking about Shayera, he realized that he had been standing outside his bedroom for a good five minutes.

 _Bruce shook his head in order to clear it, wanting to get some rest before going on mission. He changed into comfortable clothing and crept into the sheets. He welcomed the dark bliss that came with sleep._

 _It was the setting sun that woke him and he glanced out the window to take in the view. He was happy to see her outside with her emerald eyes that beckoned to him. She wore a beautiful golden dress and her hair was lightly dancing in the breeze as she stood outside the Manor on the edge of the cliffs, back facing the waters as she waited for him to come outside. Bruce walked out of his room and the manor and walked towards her, not wanting to reveal just how seeing her made him feel. Her hand reached out to him and he took it, taking note of the warmth and the softness that was inside his rough and calloused hands. She gave him a warm smile and gently pressed a kiss to his cheek while he cupped her face with his hands properly kissed her. Her red hair tickled his face and he grinned as he teasingly blew on it. She gave him a half-hearted glare but it immediately melted away to one of pure content as he wrapped his arms around her, careful not to crush her wings… wait… Shayera?_

He shot up from the bed, realizing that a few hours had passed since closing his eyes. He stayed sitting on his bed wondering why of all things to dream about, it was Shayera. He thought nothing of it however and decided it was because he was expecting her to arrive. He walked to the Batcave where he changed into the Batsuit and waited for Shayera to arrive. Night was setting in and he wanted to begin investigations immediately. He was typing into the computer his log notes when the familiar sound of wings sweeping into the cave caught his attention. He turned to see Shayera ready for the mission, one of the many qualities he had always admired her for… wait, admired? He watched as she approached him and asked, "What's going on?"

"I don't believe you ever had the misfortune of fighting against Scarecrow?" asked Bruce. Images of Scarecrow flashed through Shayera's mind as the Absorbascon fed her news information and medical information about him. Jonathan Crane was one sick man that Shayera would rather not deal with, but if Bruce needed her help then she would help him.

"No, what seems to be the problem?" asked Shayera. Bruce clicked on a closed file and it opened up to reveal people clawing at their skins. Shayera nearly turned green when a particular photo caught her attention: a boy no less than ten years was trying to claw his eyes out.

"What is this?" whispered Shayera, feeling distraught at the images. What type of monster would force people to try and scrape their own skin off?

"This is a new fear toxin that Scarecrow has released in the Gotham Park two days ago. It was a neutral toxin that was triggered when people that were present in the park that day had consumed a certain amount of water." explained Bruce as he closed the files.

"Where do we begin looking?" asked Shayera. Bruce and Shayera left the cave and began their detective work in Gotham. Shayera soared above the lights and buildings while Bruce patrolled the streets, each using their own unique skills and talents in order to find Scarecrow. Bruce knew that with Shayera's keen eye, she would be able to spot things even if they were hidden in cracks on the walls. They weren't exactly Superman's X-Ray vision, but Bruce honestly felt more comfortable having Shayera in Gotham than Superman. At least with Shayera, he knew that she will follow orders and rarely act on instinct.

Four hours into the night passed, and with Shayera's help, they had managed to stop three different jewelry heists and an attempted grand theft auto on Fifth Avenue. Bruce would have considered it a good night done but with Scarecrow still on the loose and no antidote for the poor victims, he needed to find the insane chemist and find the solution. He turned the scanner on a different frequency and heard the computer inform him, "Suspect Scarecrow reported to be seen at abandoned Axe's Chemicals Depository Grounds. SWAT Teams are advised to be on guard as suspect is said the be armed."

"Shayera," said Bruce in the comm-link.

"Yes?" responded Shayera.

"Fly on over to the Depository grounds and wait for me there. Scarecrow is attempting barricade himself there as SWAT is surrounding the area."

"Is it safe for them to be near the chemicals?"

"They know what kind of criminal Scarecrow is and will take extra precautions." assured Bruce. He did a complete 180 turn and sped on towards the grounds, intending to take Scarecrow down and help his victims. It was a long drive and Bruce was happy to have thought of sending Shayera up ahead when he heard her comm-link him, "I see the SWAT teams grouping near the entrances and exits of the building. I can see movement through the windows, seven armed and one large man carrying a blunt weapon. I can hear Commissioner Gordon relaying orders to wait for your arrival."

"Good, the last time they sent in a team without waiting for me we had a whole division of officers screaming at ghosts."

"Why does Gordon rely on you so much? I would have thought that he might have funded for proper equipment for his force in order to deal with criminals such as Scarecrow or even the Joker."

"That's because the DA's office is filled with corrupted individuals that are paid off by the mob bosses of Gotham. I can't expose them without any physical evidence and my donations as Bruce Wayne is only ever enough to keep up the playboy façade I need to maintain as Bruce Wayne." explained Bruce.

"Surely even a thousand of your dollars is enough to supply the police force with proper gas masks and armor."

"You only ever fought against Joker and Quinn. You have yet to fight against Ivy, Bane, or even Mr. Freeze. Their style of weaponry can demolish even a bulletproof shield or riot gear."

"Your Rogues Gallery? Surely they can't be any more difficult that the types of criminals I face in Midway."

"The Rogues of Gotham are more insane than villainous. They can be unpredictable when they want to be and have no limits to their timetable. It's why Arkham is the best place to put them in, in order for them to try and break free from their mental state."

"What if they can't be redeemed?"

"It's a thought that continues to haunt me." said Bruce as he arrived at the depository grounds. He could spot Shayera hiding up in one of many surrounding buildings, waiting for his instructions. Batman got out of the Batmobile and approached Gordon.

"Batman! We managed to corner Scarecrow in the office, our SWAT guys tried to smoke him out, but he retaliated. His new toxin… I don't know how Batman but it's able to get passed through our gas masks. We have about five guys right now on their way to the hospital." said Gordon, giving Batman the run down.

"I'll handle it. Just make sure your men stay far from the office and windows." said Batman as he took out his grappling gun and aimed it at the roof of the building. When he reached the roof, he could sense rather than see Shayera follow him in the air. He pressed a finger to the comm-link and said, "Shayera, fly in through the windows and create a distraction for Scarecrow's guards. I'll come in through the vents and take care of Scarecrow myself."

"I'm on it." confirmed Shayera. Bruce quickly made his way to the open ventilation and crawled through in time to hear glass shattering from outside and gunfire blasting. Bruce quickly made his way to the ventilation and looked out of the grate to see Shayera successfully dodging the bullets as she took care of the guards one by one. Bruce opened the grate and with his grappling hook, he lowered himself cautiously and avoided being seen by the guards. If any guards caught sight off Bruce, Shayera was quick for the takedown and resumed playing the distraction. He was close to the office door when the burly guard Shayera had mentioned earlier smacked him in the chest with a sledgehammer.

Bruce felt himself fly in the air and landed on his back as he tried to stop his esophagus from reflexing and emptying out his lungs of air. The man walked towards Bruce with the hammer raised up high before a blur of gold and red smashed into the man and they both went tumbling into the office. Bruce managed to get his breathing back under control and had managed to get up to see the hole in the office and the prone figure of the burly guard lying on the floor.

Bruce stealthily made his way through the hole and peeked inside. His insides leapt when he saw Shayera kneeling on the ground and wheezing as the sickly green color of Scarecrow's fear toxin lingered around her head.  
"Hawkgirl!" he cried out and took out his grappler and launched it towards her. It wrapped around Shayera tightly and he pulled her back out of the toxic cloud. He forced her head up in order to see her face, but her mask and the lens covered anything that could give him a clue as to how far deep she was in. He heard a slight movement behind him and he threw a batarang towards the assailant. The assailant dodged into the light, giving Batman a clear view of Scarecrow.

"Hello Batman," sneered Scarecrow and he began to taunt Batman, "Like what I've done to your friend? I've seen the videos of her fighting and I just had to see what makes her fear. An interesting specimen really, I didn't think my toxins would have such a violent response from her. Then again, she isn't of this Earth right?"

"Give me the antidote." growled Bruce. Never had he felt this much hate towards his enemy than the time he had discovered Joker had kidnapped Robin, and it was confusing to be feeling like this.  
"Ha! You dare threaten me!? The Master of Fear! The Bringer of Terr-AH!"

Scarecrow's tirade was cut short when Batman had grabbed him by his shirt with speed like lightning and hefted him in the air with one hand.  
"WHERE. IS. THE. ANTIDOTE!" he snarled. Scarecrow sneered at Batman and said, "You don't scare me."

Bruce sneered at Scarecrow and threw him around the office. Everytime Scarecrow hit a wall, Batman was quick to grab him again and threw him around again. Whether it was on the desk, or to the file case, or the ground, or even up at the ceiling Scarecrow was experiencing a new type of interrogation not seen from the Dark Knight. It was only when Batman had Scarecrow's arm twisted behind him that Scarecrow began to fear the Dark Knight as he twisted his arm to the brink of fully breaking it.

"Ok! Ok! Stop! Please! I'll give you the antidote! Stop!" cried out Scarecrow. Batman stopped his assault and watched as Scarecrow reached into his pocket and shakily took out the purple vial. Batman snatched it immediately before Scarecrow got any funny ideas and smashed his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious. Batman turned to see Shayera still wheezing and quickly made his way towards her. He laid her down on her side, being mindful of her wings and gently removed her mask. Her face was blotchy and sweaty as her pupils were diluted and darting left and right.

"Shayera." said Bruce softly and gently, not wanting to startle her. Scarecrow was right in saying that the toxin had a different effect on her. Instead of clawing at herself like Scarecrow's previous victims, she was shaking as though she was suffering from a fever and was searching the room for something.

"Bruce?" she asked shakily. Bruce knew that she must be suffering in whatever effects she is feeling for her to forget calling him Batman while outside the cave and manor. He hushed her and gently wiped her sweaty hair from her face.  
"Bruce," she said fearfully, "Behind you!" Bruce turned and prepared for a fight but saw nothing there, just Scarecrow's unconscious body. Bruce turned to see Shayera getting up shakily and placed her mask back on.

"Shayera, stand down." said Bruce.  
"N-No! Bruce! Behind you! Please! Run!" she cried out. She made to reach for Bruce but he dodged out of the way to see her struggle remain standing before she continued to scream, "BRUCE! RUN! THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING!"

Bruce watched as she moved behind him and flared her wings up, as though to protect him from an incoming attack. Bruce gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Shayera, you inhaled some of Scarecrow's fear toxin. What you're seeing is not real."

"No, they're coming! They're… here! THEY'RE HERE!" screamed Shayera as she charged her mace up and threw it at the ceiling at the invisible assailant. The mace discharged a high level of electricity that Bruce barely had time to move the unconscious body of Scarecrow out of harm's way. Shayera grabbed her mace and charged it again, intent on hitting her attacker. Shayera flared her wings and flew up and smashed her way out of the building.

"SHAYERA!" cried out Bruce. He watched helplessly as Shayera turned to give him a desperate and horrified look before flying in the sky, crying out, "I MUST STOP THEM!"

Bruce quickly handcuffed Scarecrow and dragged him outside to the police. Gordon met with him and Batman said, "There are seven hired thugs inside the building. Have your men detain them." Gordon nodded and began shouting orders. Gordon though quickly looked at Batman and said, "Was that Hawkgirl I just saw flying up in the air?"

"Yes, she accompanied me to handle the situation. You might want to check for injuries on the thugs, I had Hawkgirl deal with them while I dealt with Scarecrow." said Bruce.

"Where'd she go though? I heard her scream but I had no idea what."

"She inhaled some of Scarecrow's fear toxin, but it's having a different effect on her. She's hallucinating a threat that doesn't exist."

"She needs to be detained then. Is there an antidote?"

"Yes, I'll work on providing enough for all the victims of Scarecrow's toxin, but I need you to keep your eyes out for Hawkgirl."

"Is it safe though? She's hallucinating, wouldn't she mistake us for the enemy?"

"No, she recognized me and tried to protect me from whatever she saw. So long as you approach her as a friend then she can recognize you, but remain cautious." advised Batman. He quickly ran to the Batmobile and raced towards the Batcave. His mind was clouded by thoughts of where Shayera might have flown. The Batcave was going to be the first places he'd check before sweeping over the Manor. He'll have Alfred check every room while he fixes up the cure for the fear toxins. Shayera's frightened and horrified face flashed before his mind and he quickly stepped on the accelerator, intent on replicating the antidote and distributing it to the victims and Shayera.

Batman arrived at the Batcave and almost flew out of the car and straight to his labs. Alfred greeted him with surprise and watched as Bruce ran straight to his lab and began to work.

"Eh-Master Bruce? Is there a problem?" asked Alfred, watching as his ward began to examine the contents in a purple vial and began to work furiously in recreating it.

"Shayera had inhaled the fear toxin and is now currently flying around battling enemies that don't exist." explained Bruce briefly as he concentrated on getting the proper mixture.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Alfred, "Is there anything I can do?"

"Keep your ear on the police scanners, Shayera might reveal herself in her hallucinated state."

Bruce worked furiously and diligently while Alfred listened in on the police scanner. Bruce was berating himself while working on the antidote, telling himself that he should have seen the burly man and avoided his attack. Perhaps then Shayera wouldn't have had to intervene and smashed her way to the office. Bruce was almost finished with the replication of the antidote when a surprise appearance of Tim startled him.

"Bruce! Alfred told me what happened, where's Shayera?" said Tim, tucking the 'feathers' of his wing suit. Tim originally designed the suit in order to have similar flight capabilities that Shayera possessed. It wasn't as graceful as her wings, but Tim's flight suit had given him the ability to briefly fly across the skies before needing to land. Tim had originally wanted to use the suit in order to spend time with Shayera, but a call to join Dick's old team had him packing his bags to go to California.

"Scarecrow had managed to take advantage of her when she was vulnerable. She's currently fighting invisible enemies that only she can see." explained Bruce as he finished up the process. Once he had a full set of antidotes, he gestured to Tim to grab the set while he took two of the antidotes and placed them safely in his utility belt.

"Where are we going? Aren't we going to look for Shayera?" questioned Tim as he hopped in the passenger seat and kept the set of antidotes safely on his lap.

"We need to give these out to the victims in the hospital first, Alfred or Gordon will inform us if they catch news on Shayera." said Bruce. They sped out of the Batcave and made their first stop at the Gotham Memorial Hospital. Bruce and Tim jumped out of the car and delivered the antidotes to the gracious staff at the hospital before beginning their search for their hallucinated friend.  
"Where could she have gone? I looked into the Midway City news and nothing drastic has happened." said Tim.

"We need to think like her. Imagine yourself in her mindset and you see a threat coming. She tried to protect me when I wouldn't run like she asked, so where would she go in order to protect us?" mused Bruce. Tim only thought of it for about a minute before he jumped up and said, "If she can't protect us here in Gotham, then she'd go look for help."

Bruce immediately pressed on the communicator link and waited until the Flash's voice responded, "What's up Bats?"

"Flash, I need you to monitor three cities."

"Three? At the same time? What's going on? I just got back yesterday from an intergalactic bar fight and you want me to be in three places at once?"

"Hawkgirl is in danger. She's in a state of hallucinating an is currently flying around three key cities she's familiar with." explained Batman.  
"Ok, where do you want me to go?"

"I need you to monitor Gotham, Midway City, and your city." said Batman.

"Why would she go to Central City?"

"Hawkgirl is already accepting you and the others as friends, it would make sense that she will try and protect you from whatever it is she is hallucinating about."

"Ok, I'm on it."

Batman cut the feed and he and Tim began to monitor around the city, keeping an eye out for any flying individual attacking the skies or grounds. A red streak of lightning caught Tim's eyes and he quickly turned his head to see the streak disappear around the corner.  
"He's fast." remarked Tim.

"Hopefully its enough to keep an eye on the cities." said Bruce as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. He didn't want to bring in more of the Justice League on this particular case, feeling that having the Flash run around in his city was enough. Midnight stroke and there wasn't any sign of Shayera. Bruce refused to feel worried as Tim expressed his concerns and said, "She's a fighter. Even in her state, she knows how to identify friend from foe. Whatever she thinks she sees is putting her on a state of panic and fear. We need to show her that she is not seeing it."

Two hours passed and before he decided to call in reinforcement, Bruce finally received a call from Flash who said with an edge to his voice, "Batman! She's in Central City! She found me stopping Boomerang from robbing a bank and she is currently carrying me to the National Park! She keeps saying 'They're here'."

"Keep the comm-link open. I'll track you down, try to keep her there with you." said Batman, as he cut the feed off for a moment to inform Tim to meet him back at the Batmobile. Once they had regrouped, Bruce was greeted with the sight of Barbara in her Batgirl suit waiting for him.

"My dad's missing," explained Barbara as she jumped in the passenger's seat and Tim sat in the back seat, "He told me he was following a lead hours ago but he hasn't responded to any of my messages."

"Shayera must have found him."

"Shayera? Why—what's going on?" demanded Barbara as Bruce sped his way towards the National Park. He gave the brief summary of the events that had passed by earlier and Barbara was quick in helping Batman track the Flash's signal down. In any regular car, the trip would have been over six hours or three hours by flight but with the Batmobile dodging and weaving through traffic and Barbara using her tech-savvy skills to direct them in better routes, they managed to reach the park in less than two hours. The three jumped out of the vehicle and Barbara took out a small GPS tracker from her belt. The radar on the screen showed a distant yellow dot from the west and they began their trek to reach the Flash.

"Do you think she made off with Alfred?" asked Barbara as they a couple of minutes passed. Bruce felt his eyes widen under his cowl and he pressed on the comm-link to connect with Alfred… nothing. Damn. Shayera was truly an efficient hunter if she had managed to sneak into the manor and make off with Alfred without raising any alarms or the sensors.

"Nothing. She must have made off with him when we weren't looking. Where's Dick?" asked Batman.

"He's currently in Star City, something about meeting a friend." said Barbara. Batman nodded and knew that Shayera has never visited Star City before so Dick was safe for the moment. They walked down the trail and it was when the flash began to beep that the three reached for their bolas, nets, and grapplers in the event that Shayera might be there. They quietly hid above the trees and made their way towards a cave, where Bruce can hear Alfred trying to calm Shayera.

"Miss, please. Listen to us, you have been exposed to—"

"NO! YOU DON'T SEE THEM! THEY'RE HERE!"

"Stand down Officer," Bruce heard an unknown voice command Shayera, "You are not right in the head-"

"George please! They're here! They're waiting!" pleaded Shayera.

"Hawkgirl, listen. I've been up against Scarecrow many times and what you are experiencing is a very powerful toxin." explained Gordon. Bruce can see Barbara relax a little at hearing her father's voice before he motioned for them to breach the cave. The three heroes landed outside the cave to see Shayera gripping the wall for stability as Flash stood in front of the a few people. Bruce can identify Alfred and Gordon but the others must be residents of Midway City. Bruce quietly approached the preoccupied hero and took out a glue grenade. Setting the level at explosive, he threw the grenade and watched as the fluorescent blue glue trapped Shayera to the ground. She began to scream and yell at her 'prisoners' to run when Tim threw his net over her while Barbara secured it with the bola. Bruce quickly used a syringe to prepare the antidote and took Tim to the side and quickly said, "I'll distract her. Her vulnerable areas is just below the chin, so you need to act swiftly and safely."

"Batman!" cried out Gordon, "Do you have the antidote?"

Batman calmly approached the struggling hero and said in a clear voice, "You need to calm down."

"They're Here! They're here!"

"Hawkgirl, you need to calm down. You're not speaking clearly which makes me think that you are not seeing anything." said Bruce. Shayera stopped struggling and looked at Batman and asked, "You believe me?"

"Yes, but you need to tell me what's going on. Who are they?"

"The Gordanians…. they found Earth! They've sent spies! I tried to stop them, please! Believe me! I tried!" cried out Shayera. Her whimpers echoed in the cave and Bruce tried not to let it bother him, but her fear was all the more natural than most other fears the Scarecrow had brought to life. With her home planet at war with another, she must have feared that they were here to conquer the Earth as well.

"Listen to me, we will contact the league and—"  
"Whoa! Wait a minute Bats! You're actually buying this?" asked Flash. Bruce gave him what people have called the Bat glare at him and watched as he shrunk away from him. Bruce returned his attention to Shayera and said, "You must remain calm. Take a deep breath and close your eyes." Shayera followed his instructions and Tim took the opportunity to quickly inject the antidote in Shayera. She grunted at first in pain and fear before she began to thrash around her bindings screaming. Bruce was happy that the glue grenade had glued her talon hand to the floor while her other hand was to the wall, that way she will have no way to reach for her mace. Her screams died down and she was left kneeling on the floor and gasping for air. Bruce thought that perhaps the antidote wouldn't work until she began to ask, "Wh-Where am I? Where's Scarecrow?"

Everybody let out a collective breath of relief as they realized that Hawkgirl's hallucinated state has passed. Batman watched as an elderly woman cautiously walked towards Shayera and asked in Spanish, " _Cómo estás hija? Te sientes mejor_?" Shayera shook her head and replied back in spanish, " _No, me siento_ _como que estoy quemando_."

It was a full two hours that got everybody situated, with Barbara taking Alfred, Tim, and Gordon back to Gotham while George and his family accepted the Flash's offer to return them home. After a promise to Commissioner Emmett that he would inform him of when Shayera gets better, Bruce took the feverish Shayera in his arms, feeling that she was reacting very violently. Shayera was experiencing her first Earth disease and was too weak to do anything, let alone stand up. Bruce had the feverish Shayera in his arms while he contacted J'onn to teleport them to the Watchtower. When he felt the familiar feeling of teleportation, he held Shayera closer to him and they were at the Watchtower.

"What happened?" he heard J'onn ask.

"A mission that took a different route. Hawkgirl is experiencing a fever and she needs to be properly insulated. This is her first Earth disease and she's reacting to it harshly." explained Batman, proud of himself of keeping his voice even. J'onn followed Batman to the infirmary where he helped Batman place Shayera in a healing pod. They managed to keep her temperature stable and Bruce typed in several antibiotic formulas he was sure would help Shayera.

"She must be in terrible pain." said J'onn as he watched Shayera shiver in the pod.  
"Can't you read her mind and see if she's alright?"

"I cannot." said J'onn.

"Respectful of privacy?"

"No, I mean I cannot. Shayera possesses a natural mental shield that I cannot break through without attempting to harm her." explained J'onn. Bruce looked at him in surprise. This was definitely news to him and it proved that Shayera would be a valuable asset against any alien invasion with mind-reading abilities. Bruce returned to Gotham once J'onn had promised to keep an eye on Shayera and he sluggishly returned to his bed. He briefly acknowledged Alfred who brought in a tray of tea and went to sleep. He woke up in mid-morning to Alfred shaking his shoulders and saying, "A call for the Batman is needed. Someone calling himself John Jones is requesting an audience."

Bruce groaned a bit before getting back into action mode. He put the Batsuit on once more and made his way to the cave. He sat down on the computer and pressed on the comm-link.

"Batman here."

"Batman, the antibiotics are working wonders on Hawkgirl however she is asking for you."

"Alright. Teleport me up." said Batman. He stood up and waited until he was no longer in the cave but in the Watchtower. He followed J'onn to the infirmary where Shayera was sitting up in her pod, no longer needing the insulation to keep her temperature stable. She was staring out the window and in the stars when she heard Batman and J'onn walk in.

"I'll leave you two to it." said J'onn walking out. Shayera looked Bruce and asked in a scratchy voice, "What happened? One minute I'm fighting thugs and the next I wake up in a cave."

Bruce took a deep breath and recounted the whole night to Shayera, who listened with a mixture of embarrassment, horror, and nervousness. By the time Bruce finished the tale, Shayera had her mask off and her head in her hands in an act of shame. She was shaking her head as though she couldn't believe she had initially kidnapped most of the people she knew in her life and hid them in a cave. Bruce would also believe that it was probably the first time Shayera had been in a state of vulnerability since crash landing on Earth. She was normally a levelheaded individual and Bruce could relate to how being exposed so publicly can be a bit embarrassing.  
"What will they think? They'll think I'm no longer trust-worthy." moaned Shayera. Bruce figured she must be talking about her friends on Midway City. He placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort and said, "They wanted me to inform them when you were alright. They were worried about you."

Shayera took his hand in hers and he felt his heart skip a beat. Without her talon hand on, her hand was actually small in his gloved one. He gave a gentle squeeze and said, "Go meet with them. They're worried and would like to hear from you." Shayera gave him a small smile and got ready for to be teleported. Batman and J'onn watched her leave and Bruce decided to begin his monitor duties for the time being. When he went back to Gotham, he was pleased to note that Tim had decided to stay for a little longer and help defend Gotham while he was gone. Although Tim was still considered underage by society, Bruce knew that Tim could take care of himself in California. Bruce was typing away his notes in the computer when Tim came back and ran to Bruce.

"Hey! How's Shayera?" asked Tim.

"She's fine. She's at Midway City right now." said Bruce, "If you want to talk with her, I'd suggest waiting until she settles things down."

"Oh, alright. I just… you know… want to say good-bye properly. Last time I left I didn't even think to say good-bye." said Tim. Bruce can see him glance down to the floor guiltily. He knew that Tim loves Shayera as though she were his sister and said, "Go now then before you leave." Tim smiled at Bruce and left the cave in his motorbike. Bruce knew that it would take him the whole night to get to Midway, but Bruce was satisfied in knowing that Tim was at least taking initiative. The last time he left he had promised to be the one to tell Shayera, only for Bruce to be the bringer of bad news. Shayera—for the first time—had actually moped in the cave.

Morning came and Bruce was feeling a little bedraggled. He felt as though the entire past three days had been on put on fast forward and he barely had any time. When he went to eat breakfast, he was surprised to feel a feeling of peace spread through him when he saw that Shayera and Tim were already at the breakfast table.

"How did things go in Midway?" asked Bruce.

"Pretty well, all things considering," said Shayera, "Commissioner Emmett was kind enough to give me the rest of the day off before coming back to the force tomorrow."

The whole morning was spent in pleasantry and by the time Tim had said his good-byes, Shayera accepted Bruce's offer to stay in the mansion the whole day while he performed his duties as Bruce Wayne. When he got back, night had set in and Bruce waved Shayera good-bye who needed to return to Midway if she were to resume her police duties. He was getting ready as Batman when he heard Alfred pipe up from behind him, "You know there's a certain type of cheer she brings in this manor, Master Bruce. I wish she didn't have to leave."

"She's already made it her home in Midway, Alfred. She views it as her Aviary whenever she is gone for too long." said Bruce.

"I know. I often wish however that she had a reason to stay permanently. I'd rather say that she brings something unique to our strange little family." said Alfred. Bruce looked behind him to see Alfred leaving the cave and decided not to humor his friend. As far as Bruce can tell, his history with women never ended well and he'd rather hold onto his friendship with Shayera rather than make something more of it. Or at least, that's what he tells himself.

 **Hey readers, sorry for the late update. School is back in business and I am once again pushing the "I must read this or I will fail" stress button. How do you guys like it so far? What did you think about my Bruce chapter? In regards to some PM I've been receiving, I decided to make an alternate story to this with the Green Lantern but that will only be after I finish this story. So this story will be Batman/Hawkgirl and the alternate story will be Green Lantern/Hawkgirl. Thanks again and please review. I'd like to know what you guys want to see later on.**


	14. A Girl's Day and Night

_A Girl's Day and Night_

Three months after Shayera's introduction to Scarecrow's toxin, she was sitting in the Watchtower Monitor Room with Flash. Commissioner Emmett, Alice, Kendra, Danny, and Mavis were relieved that Shayera had recovered from her toxin-induced state and they were quick to forgive her before she could even offer an apology. They were flattered that at the first sign of an alien invasion, they were the first that Shayera was going to try to protect. Alice acted like a mother hen throughout that weekend, setting up an actual curfew for Shayera to stay out and refusing to allow Shayera to sleep in the museum, offering up the guest room for Shayera to sleep in. Shayera allowed herself to be spoiled over by Alice if only to give the older woman a sense of comfort. George often smirked at Shayera whenever Alice began to fret and nag over her, happy that the attention was off of him for a change. Kendra and Mavis proved to be very loyal friends and would often spend Shayera's breaks hanging out with her. Danny had offered to always be available whenever she needed to talk and she often took his offer, happy to have someone to open up to about her experience.

Her time as a Justice League member did little to dampen her relationship with Midway City. If anything, it boosted their popularity and brought in many tourists from around the world wanting to see the 'Angel'. Since the Justice League was a global response team, Shayera had visited many places were people viewed her to be a holy deity. Flash and Lantern had a field day laughing at her expense when during a call to Italy, many of the people wanted to pray with her and asked her to take their prayers with her to heaven. Shayera had a difficult time recovering from that experience but did her best explaining to the people her origins. While some believed her, many others didn't and assumed she was just playing humble.

One of the worst experiences she had was when she discovered that a cult existed where they worshipped fallen angels. While not directly worshipping Satan, it was a cult that was too (in the words of Flash) creepy to hang around with. Shayera politely turned down their offer, but she was never too sure if that was the last she'll see of them.

The Justice League was rapidly becoming a known group all around the planet as they began to take on cases that needed their attention. So far, they had managed to stop extraterrestrial individuals from wrecking havoc in all parts of the globe. It wasn't just aliens however that brought their attention. Villains of all types and forms attracted their attention as well and they were called to stop their nefarious activities. Shayera remembered a particular incident with Luminous when she was paired with J'onn. The fiend used light as his source of power and he had managed to blind Shayera for most of the fight. She thanked the seven heavens that J'onn was there and he helped her lure Luminous in a room to which she unleashed a volley of electricity from her mace all around the room. Luminous was rendered unconscious and J'onn was able to properly heal her eyes once they arrived back to the Watchtower.

Shayera was looking at a civil protest news alert in New York when the doors behind her swooshed open. In came Wonder Woman who was coming in to take over for Flash.  
"Hey sweetheart," flirted the Flash. Diana gave him a polite smile and said, "Good evening Flash."

"You know, if it were up to me? I'd change the alphabet so U and I can be together." flirted Flash. Shayera had to stop herself from snorting at his stupid pick up line. She had heard plenty of idiotic one-liners during the year when Grubs was courting Kendra. Kendra had found them endearing, but Shayera had found them to be extremely irritating. She shook her head when Diana naively responded, "Why would you though? I see no benefit in changing the alphabet."

"Oh yeah? Well how about this, did it hurt whe—"

"Alright you're starting to hurt my ears," interrupted Shayera, "Go!"

Flash gave her a fake look of hurt before speeding over and giving her a brief hug and leaving. After the Scarecrow incident, Flash acted very brotherly to Shayera after she confessed that he reminded her so much of her brother. She found it a little endearing but she wasn't really much on acting very 'mushy' as Tim puts it on people she is just starting to know. Diana took over Flash's empty chair and said, "You two have gotten closer."

"He reminds me so much of my little brother. I often feel homesick for my home, but I have found new family on Earth." said Shayera, deciding to open up a little. This was actually the first time they were both paired in the Monitor Duty.

"How long has it been since you've been here?"

"Five years."

"Five? How do you do it? I'm still feeling homesick for Themyscira and it has only been three months." said Diana. Shayera looked over to her and saw the obvious homesickness on her face. She looked back at the Earth and said, "It wasn't easy. My family by now should have already burned a funeral pyre for me if they couldn't find a body. I had a year to learn how to live with it, though. I worked in the Midway City Police Department and I have adopted the people as my own, to help ease the homesickness."

Diana mulled over Hawkgirl's words in her head. It made sense. Hawkgirl was on this planet for five years getting used to Earth. Diana was born on this planet but she was just as much an alien as J'onn was than Hawkgirl was. Somehow Hawkgirl was capable of learning things on the spot instead of having to struggle through them. Diana wondered what type of training Shayera received and asked, "Were you really an officer of the law in your home world?"

Hawkgirl actually looked a little surprised by her question but responded anyways, "Yes. Why'd you ask?"

"No reason, just… curious you could say. Your fighting style suggests more militaristic than normal though."

"Perhaps militaristic by human standpoint. Trust me when I say this Diana, our military is more brutal and vicious than what they train us to do in the Law Enforcement Academy. Our military's methods are questionable and we have actually formed protests when we first received news about war crimes being performed by our own soldiers."

"You don't support your military?"

"No, I have told Batman this before. My planet used to be filled with peace until the Gordanians showed up. My parents spoke of a time when utopia existed but now… with war comes crimes and my people were corrupted by it. We needed a law enforcement system and it was formed. Unfortunately we are still a new concept and it was formed when my parents had graduated from the Academy. We hope to win the war by using moral and ethical means. Killing is something that is unavoidable but we don't want to win this war by a cowards way."

"Your people seem like a very honorable race."

"Are we? Again, war corrupts and whatever honor my planet has is only in the few now. I thank the seven heavens that my brother has some sense in his head and he didn't end up following the propaganda dogma the military has issued."

"This is all… interesting, if you don't mind me saying," said Diana, deep in thought, "Would you consider yourself to be one of the few honorable ones left?"

"I hope so. Otherwise my entire stance on life would be for naught. My mother really was the one that led my family to strive to preserve honor and justice. I'm really the only one in my family to hold a position of authority, but even I agree with everything my mother and soon after my father has to say."

"What is your mother like?" asked Diana, feeling forlornly for her own mother. Shayera thought it over and said, "She's… She was my shield against the bullies, the light whenever I had nightmares, my friend when I needed somebody to talk to, and… my mother when I needed her to love me. She's incredibly intelligent and she could have gotten a position in the High Council's Science Division, but she chose to stick with Archeology and discover more history of our race instead of pandering to the needs of the military. I hope she doesn't feel like a terrible mother for not stopping me from chasing down Byth. Maybe then, I would be home and not here."

Shayera felt the familiar feelings of homesickness rise within her and she did her best to not cry. It has been five years, but it still felt like it was only yesterday that she had promised her mother and father to be present during her brother's ceremony. She hopes that they had forgiven her for not upholding to her promise, even if they believe her to be dead. Diana knew—even if Hawkgirl's mask was on—that she still felt homesick. Hawkgirl was no longer looking at the Earth but at the stars in hope to find her home. Diana knew the feeling all too well.

"I hope my mother forgives me for my treachery," confessed Diana, "What was I to do though? When I received the message from J'onn I knew I had to act. I couldn't leave innocents unprotected when I knew I could make the difference."

"You did the right thing in my eyes, if it helps. There had been too many captains and officers that decided to skip out on their duties, which motivated me to work on my day off. I managed to stop Byth from escaping but… well, you know the story after." sighed Shayera.

"Do you mind if I ask… what it is like to have a father? And a brother?" asked Diana. So far, Shayera was the only member on this team that had a sibling and while Diana had often dreamed of having a little sister, she now wonders what it would be like to have a male figure growing up.

"My father? Strong, brave, protective but he was loving all the same. I was bullied in my younger years because I was the only short female among my peers. I had the shortest wingspan and height, which made me a target to many of my peers. I had no friends at the time and it felt like it was the world vs. myself. I was miserable and my father caught onto it immediately. He escorted me to school one day and began to demonstrate many of the latest designs that he had made for the military and law enforcement. It was an ill-disguised threat, but many of my bullies had received the message." said Shayera with a smile on her face laughing quietly when she remembered the feared looks she received after that day, "My brother had it very easy though compared to me. He's such a natural charmer. Very friendly and it's very difficult to stay mad at him for too long. I think I made him proud, I was never too sure though he was always off with his friends. We always spent time together though so I knew he loved me almost as much as I loved him."

Diana heard the obvious love in Hawkgirl's voice and wondered again what it must feel like to have a sibling that shared the same blood.

A red alarm blared through the screens and Diana punched in the coordinates to see where the trouble laid. To Shayera's horror, Midway City was in the process of being demolished by a rampaging Cheval.  
"CHEVAL!" snarled Shayera and she quickly leapt up from her seat and flew to the teleporter. She quickly typed in Midway City's coordinates and dived to the teleportation pad, Diana quickly following after her. They were teleported in the middle of the Main Street in front of the Police Department. Shayera glanced around frantically saw smoke rise from a few blocks over. She vaguely noted Diana following after her and she flew towards the smoke source. Cheval—or Monocle, as he is preferring to call himself now—was destroying random debris to get people running away from his destination, the bank. Shayera almost had to scoff at his obvious attempt to rebuild his fortune. Most businessmen will never trust banks and Shayera knew that it was his obvious downfall aside from his stupid trust on Harrison.

"Cheval!" screamed Shayera as she stood behind him, mace at the ready.

"Ah, Hawkgirl. I was wondering when you'd show up. See this," taunted Cheval as he pointed to his monocle, "this is my newest invention. I'm sure you'll find it to be quite enlightening." His monocle glowed and hit Shayera straight in the abdomen. She flew back, surprised by its power but thankful that it was still not enough to pierce her armor. She hit the street and managed to maneuver herself to fly up and attract his attention. Thankfully he hadn't seen Diana, who was quickly helping citizens avoid the battle. Diana was worried when she saw that there were still many citizens that were in danger of being blasted by Cheval's monocle blasts. Diana watched as Shayera battled with Cheval, often trying not to hit so hard with her mace so as not to kill him. Cheval though used his blasts to its full potential, often forcing Shayera to block and absorb its power with her armor so as not to deflect them on any innocents. Diana grabbed her lasso and twirled it above her head and said, "Hera! Give me strength."

She threw the lasso and it flew over Cheval's form and she pulled on it, forcing the lasso to go down on Cheval and lasso him towards her. He fought against his bindings and snarled as Diana grabbed his monocle and crushed it in her hand, causing the glass piece to turn to powder. Shayera flew down next to her and said, "Thank you."

"What's the matter, Hawkgirl," sneered Cheval, "Was I too much for you to handle that you needed the glorified arm candy to help you?" Diana watched as Shayera's mouth turned into a snarl and she punched the man unconscious. Shayera watched passively as he fell groaning while Diana looked at her and asked, "Was that really necessary?"

"Trust me, he was asking for it." said Shayera.

"But we must be—"

"Being the diplomat works well for you Diana not only because you are Greek but because you were raised to be one, princess. Think of me as your bodyguard whenever we're both in public: it will be my job to make sure that those who insult you, know not to." said Shayera as she hoisted the unconscious Cheval and dragged him to the waiting police car. Commissioner Emmett and a couple of his men were already waiting for her when an army jeep came rolling up behind them. Emmett signaled his men to stand down and approached the woman.

"Who is she?" asked Diana.

"Amanda Waller. She's the current director of a company called ARGUS." explained Shayera.

"What is it?"

"As far as I know, they just take the criminals away from Midway. Most, if not all, the criminals in her Belle Reve Penitentiary are there by my doing." said Shayera as she watched Waller's men take Cheval away. Amanda Waller looked around until she spotted Hawkgirl and approached her. She gave a brief nod to Diana and said, "You know Hawkgirl if I had known you were been looking for a group to join I would have extended an invitation for you to join my Taskforce."

"I'll admit, it was a spur of the moment decision but I'll always be available for the Midway City Police Department and to that extend ARGUS." said Shayera.

"I'll be sure to remember that," smiled Amanda, "I actually have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes?"

"Harley Quinn has escaped Belle Reve and even our top agents haven't been able to track her down. We checked her usual hideouts including the ones in Gotham but we haven't been able to find her."

"If your top agents couldn't track her, what makes me special?" asked Shayera.

"Your skills in detective work has been monitored by my men through the years. You're exposé on Mob Boss Harrison, the ASP, and CAW were observed in great detail."

"You… You've been spying on me?"

"No, observing. You are quite possibly one of the few supers in this world I wouldn't mind working alongside with. Just remember please to keep an eye out for Quinn and about that offer to join my Taskforce." said Amanda as she left with her men. George casually walked up to Shayera and said teasingly, "First I have to loan you to the Justice League and now to ARGUS? I must admit, I don't know how to feel to have such a high profile detective in my force."

"Detective?" asked Shayera.  
"Yeah, the board and I talked it over and," said George as he presented Shayera with a Detective's badge, "we decided that you have definitely earned the title of Detective. Congratulations."

Shayera was never one to gush but at that moment she felt her wings flap a little in excitement as she took the badge and gave George an arm-wing hug. He chuckled and said, "So now that you're in Midway, how about you go to the station and inform your partner that she is now in league with her husband."

"I can't, I left the monitor station to come here and—"

"Actually," interrupted Diana, "I just called J'onn and Flash. They agreed to take over for us for today and offer their congratulations for your promotion."

George laughed and said, "Head on down to the station and tell Kendra to take a break. She actually brought little Grubs to work today."

"Hmm," smiled Shayera amusedly, "I bet she's looking for a break from her desk job."

Shayera led Diana to the police station and sure enough, when they entered George's office they saw a disheveled Kendra trying to calm a crying baby. Shayera wanted to laugh at the sight but felt sorry for Kendra and made her presence known, "I told you to take more time off."

Kendra whirled around and almost burst into tears, "Shayera!"

"Shayera?" asked Diana. Shayera smiled sheepishly and said, "It's my name."

"I'm so happy to see you," said Kendra as she walked over to Shayera, "It's been almost forever since I've seen you."

Feeling a little guilty, Shayera said, "I promise to find more time. How's George?"

"If you're talking about my son, call him Junior. I keep looking over my shoulder for my uncle." said Kendra. Shayera chuckled a little and said, "Ok, how's Junior?"

"Well, he's calmed down the minute you made yourself known. Then again, why wouldn't he recognize his own godmother." said Kendra as she extended her arms and offered Shayera to carry Junior. Shayera took her talon hand off and gently carried Junior. He looked at her with his wide brown eyes and laughed. Shayera laughed with him and gently patted his nose. He reached out and placed his chubby hands on her mask, attempting to lift it off.

"So Shay," said Kendra as she sat back down on her desk, "Who's your friend?"

"Kendra, this is Diana." said Shayera as she introduced the ladies to each other.  
"I hope you're enjoying your time here in Midway. Where are you from?" asked Kendra.

"I'm from Themyscira, home of the Amazons." said Diana.

"Amazons? I thought that was a myth." said Kendra. Shayera gave her a look and said, "I think your perceptions of what is myth should have gone out the moment it has been confirmed you have a real life alien sitting in you chair and holding your child." Kendra laughed at Shayera's comment and said, "Alright sassy. I swear you're becoming more human everyday. So, what brings you here?"

"Your uncle wanted me to come drag you out of the office and help celebrate our promotion." said Shayera.

"Promotion?"

"Congratulations Detective." smiled Shayera as she watched the smile spread on Kendra's face.

"Are-wait, are you… are you serious?" asked Kendra. Shayera nodded her in confirmation and watched as Kendra danced around the room, grabbing Junior and doing a small dance with him. The movement delighted Junior, whose happy laughs brought a smile to Shayera and Diana's faces.

"Let's go celebrate!" said Kendra. After getting everything together, the three ladies and a baby left the station and made their way to Downtown Midway, where Shayera's favorite Chinese restaurant was. After stopping by Big Belly Burgers first and greeting the delightful Chinese couple that own the restaurant, they made their way to the park. Kendra and Shayera had brought their walkie-talkie in the event they were needed for anything and relaxed under the shade of a large oak tree. Diana took the offered meal from Kendra and tried her very first milkshake.

"Mmm," she said, "this is delicious."

"Stick with me girl and I can play host again the same way I did with Shayera. Although if you don't like a certain type of food, please tell me instead of bottling it up like a certain alien we know." said Kendra, grinning when she saw Shayera blush a little under her mask.

"How do women live in your world? As far as I have experienced, I still don't know when I'm being complimented or when I'm being insulted." said Diana. Kendra thought for a minute while playing with Junior when she said, "I don't really know how to explain it. I guess you have to be born in this world. Where's Themyscira?"

"Themyscira is a paradise island. I was raised by my mother and my sisters in the arts of war, democracy, and peace." explained Diana. Kendra gave her a blank stare and looked at Shayera, who was too busy stuffing her face with eel heads until she saw Kendra's stare. She gulped the last of the eel head and said, "Homeschooled-Greek girl raised in an all girl, female empowerment environment."

Kendra nodded her head and said, "Oh! Ok, ummm. Let's see. How up to date are you with our current events?" Diana looked puzzled and Shayera decided to intervene and said, "Try being homeschooled in an all girl, female empowerment island for more than a thousand years."

"Oh wow!" exclaimed Kendra, "You have a lot to catch up on. Come on, let's go see Mavis. I'm pretty sure all those years in her fancy college made her take at least one course in Women Studies."

 _Midway City Museum_

"I actually never took a course in Women Studies." said Mavis as she bounced Junior on her lap.

"Really? Out of all the eight years in college, you never once took a course?" asked Kendra as she offered herself one of Mavis's candies.

"The courses never fit with my schedule, but Danny actually minored in Women Studies." offered Mavis as she handed Junior over to Kendra and reached for her phone.

"Really? Danny? Huh, and to think you knew a person so well." mused Kendra. Shayera only smiled at her bafflement while Diana looked intrigued. When Danny came into the office he greeted Mavis, Kendra, and Shayera with a hug and a handshake to Diana.

"Hello my name is Danny Evans, I don't believe I have the fortune of meeting you." said Danny.

"I am Diana, daughter of Hippolyta: Queen of the Amazons." said Diana. Danny smiled and said, "That's interesting! I remember in my Women Studies class, we read about the Amazons. Tell me, do you really cut off one of your breasts in order to handle your weapons better?"

Shayera had to bite her tongue in order to not laugh out loud while Mavis and Kendra gave him incredulous looks. Diana though looked confused by his question thankfully, but Mavis looked at Danny with a humorless stare and said, "Huh? HUH? Are you serious? What is wrong with you? That's your first question? Is that really your first question?"

Danny blushed and meekly said, "It was in the book."

"I assure that we do not… cut off one of our breasts to handle our weapons. Women can handle weapons just as well as any man." said Diana. Kendra and Shayera gave a small, "Hear! Hear!" from behind Diana as she continued to ask, "I would like to know how Amazons are interpreted in your world. Much of what I know only stops during the height of Greek culture."

So the whole afternoon was spent in catching Diana up to standards. She was pretty much interested in the Women's Suffrage, the Feminist Movement of the 70s and a new campaign going around the world called 'B.R.E.A.K.' (Beauty. Revival. Equity. Action. Knowledge), a new campaign set on raising gender equality. Shayera was enjoying her time with Junior while she allowed the 'adults' to talk, often flaring her wings a bit to make him smile and laugh. She saw Diana look at Junior with a curious look and gestured to Kendra if Diana could hold Junior. When Kendra gave her nod of agreement, Shayera gestured to Diana to hold Junior.

The great Amazonian Princess shifted nervously on her feet as Shayera handed the small male baby in her arms. Diana gazed down at the small baby, wonderment spreading through her as she looked down at the small boy who looked back at her with curiosity in his face. Shayera smiled at the obvious bond that was forming and continued the conversation with Mavis and Danny, informing them of the promotion. By nightfall, Mavis and Danny invited them to the Faucon Bar where Diana had her first taste of American beer. Truth be told, it was the first and last time Diana will ever have beer. Shayera though drank it as though it were water, which to her it might as well be. She watched in amusement as Mavis got a little tipsy and Danny had to be the designated driver by night's end. Kendra and Junior had left separately for their homes and Diana and Shayera waited to be teleported back up to the Watchtower. When they arrived back to the Watchtower, they were greeted with a good-bye from Flash who had to return to Central City. Shayera figured it had to do with his human job as a Forensics scientist. Shayera and Diana retreated into their respective rooms to sleep the night and resume their Monitor Duties.

Shayera didn't really decorate her room in the Watchtower, feeling a little uncomfortable. Never did she have the luxury of sleeping in a space station in Thanagar, but it was still an experience she's trying not to let bother her. Shayera tossed and turned that night. She was still a little excited for her promotion and was eager to go out and prove herself worthy of the position. She was also happy for the day to have turned out so great. With Diana's help, she was able to take down Cheval very quickly and got to spend more time with her friends from Midway than she normally does since joining the League. She was also wondering about Amanda's taskforce, wondering if perhaps Harley was in it. It would explain why she had been responding less and less to the micro-communicator. Shayera still worried that Harley might become one of the many villains that become nonexistent the longer she spent in Belle Reve.

Throughout the months, Harley proved to be a valuable friend and offered advice in the form of random ramblings in order to not tip off the guards of Belle Reve. Asking Harley for information about Belle Reve proved to be dangerous when she overheard Harley trying to misdirect a guard as to why she was counting the cells and the number of security walls. After discovering that she had escaped Belle Reve, Shayera wondered why she hasn't made the effort to reach out to her. Shayera was getting ready to go to sleep when, speaking of the devil, Harley comm-linked in, "Yo. Angelface. I'm out of Belle Reve. I'm on my way to Gotham. Meet me at the Gotham's Merchant Bank roof in twenty minutes." Shayera leapt up from her bed and tried to calmly walk to the teleporter.

"J'onn," she called out, "I need to be teleported to Gotham. I need to ask advice from Batman."

"Is it anything I can help with?" asked J'onn. Shayera gave him an assuring smile and said, "If I still can't resolve it, I'll come to you next."

Shayera felt the familiar feeling of teleportation and found herself on the outskirts of Gotham. She flew to the bank and hid in the shadows, away from any prying eyes. She was feeling anxious lying to J'onn and in a way deceiving Bruce. She valued Bruce's trust above all others and was worried what he will think of her if he discovered her deception. While not normally one to care what any man will say about her, Shayera couldn't deny the growing feelings she was developing for the Dark Knight.

She was deep in thought that, again, she didn't notice the black and red haired figure until she was pinned facedown on the ground.

"You know, I would have thought you'd have learned from the last time." mused Harley as Shayera struggled to get her off her wings.

"Harley! Get off!" she whispered. Harley smirked and somersaulted off her back. Shayera stood up and looked at the harlequin. She hasn't changed much over the past three months except she was not sporting combat boots and had ditched the domino mask… she still had the menacing appearance though.  
"Why did you need me here?" asked Shayera.

"I have a mission that requires an extra-set of hands." said Harley as she skipped over to the edge of the building. Shayera remained in the shadows though and watched as Harley turned around and gave her a quizzical look.

"I don't want to be seen." explained Shayera. True to her bipolar mood though, Harley instantly scowled and said, "Oh yeah? Too good to be seen with the likes of me?! I'll tell you something righ—"

"Harley! It has nothing to do with that! I value Batman's trust in me above all others and I don't want to jeopardize it!" explained Shayera.

"Why would B-Man's trust be so… wait…" said Harley as she walked closer to Shayera and scrutinized her. She abruptly removed her mask and Shayera was about to demand it back when Harley looked at her face real closely. Shayera was about to voice out her uncomfortableness when Harley suddenly screamed, "OH MY GOD! YOU LOVE HIM!"

"Shut up!" whispered Shayera as she took her mask back and put it on again, not wanting to satisfy Harley with the growing blush that was forming across her face. Harley smirked at Shayera and said, "I hope for your sake it goes away real fast."

Shayera stiffened and asked, "Why?"

"Well he always has a history with chicks, or at least that's how Selina puts it," said Harley, "First it was with Talia, then Selina, then with the magician lady, then he had some kind of chemistry with the reporter lady."

Harley continued to list off names and never noticed the wilted form Shayera's wings were taking. It wasn't until she was done listing off names that Harley noticed the depressed form of Shayera. She quickly realized her mistake and tried to correct it, "Er… you know what though? You got some serious loyalty and commitment that not many girls can say they have. You're negotiable and you're great with kids! And you even listened to me when anyone else would have put me back in Arkham, no questions asked!"

Shayera smiled at Harley's attempt and said, "Thank you… so was this just a social call or what?"

"Right!" said Harley, snapping back into her mission mode, "I need you to help me break into Arkham."


	15. Attempted Terrorism

_Attempted Terrorism_

Bruce thought he had experienced enough crazy things that Gotham has to throw at him. First with the Joker, then with Scarecrow, then with Man-Bat, and then with the alien invasion… nothing really should have shocked him anymore… and then he got the call from Shayera. Normally, whenever Shayera comm-links him it's normally for advice or guidance on how to handle a case. This time? He can hear Harley Quinn in the background as Shayera talked to him.

" _Batman?"_

" _I told you not to call him!"_

" _Ow! Harley, stop! Batman! I'm going to need help on this one! OW!"_

" _You back-stabber! I told ya I didn't want Bats involved!"_

" _Harley! OW! Batman we're on the roof of the Gotham Merchant Bank—HARLEY!"_

With that the comm-link was cut and Batman remained sitting in his chair wondering exactly what had just transpired. He clicked on the tracker and sure enough, Shayera's signal was coming from the Merchant Bank. He got up and decided to get over to the bank quickly, it didn't sound like Shayera was in serious danger but Harley has always been known to be unpredictable. He hopped in the Batmobile and sped on towards the bank with questions running through his mind. What was Shayera doing in Gotham? Why was Harley with her? What was the connection? He reassured himself that he will soon have his answers once he reached the bank. It took only about twenty minutes to reach the bank and when he got on the roof, he was met with the comical sight of Shayera pinning a struggling Harley down by sitting down on top of her.

"What's going on?" he asked as he approached the pair. Shayera got up from Harley and Harley jumped up attempting to smack Shayera on her head. Shayera spread her wings and began to block Harley's assaults.

"Harley! He can help! Forget about your stupid rivalry!"

"This was a really stupid idea, you feather brain! He's not going to help!"

"No! You're idea to break into Arkham without any real plan is a really stupid idea!" retorted Shayera.

"Enough!" said Batman as he approached the two. They both glared at each other before stopping with Harley turning her back on the both of them.

"Care to tell me why you're collaborating with an ex-criminal to break into Arkham?" asked Batman. While not really angry, he was still a little irritated that Shayera would get involved in a scheme like this and in his city of all places. Shayera removed her mask, which surprised Bruce because they were in such a public place and with Harley with them. Although with the level of non-hostility between the two, he figured there was more than meets the eye. Shayera took a deep breath and began to tell him about all that had transpired between herself and Harley in the last three months.

Bruce was surprised that Shayera managed to keep it a secret from the others and himself for so long. If he had Quinn talking in his ear at the most random times he was sure that he would have gone insane. Shayera though was once again proving that she can still surprise him at times. Now that he knows that Quinn is not a threat to himself but maybe for Shayera for calling him, he decided to ask, "Why are you trying to break into Arkham?"

Quinn's form shook in defeat and she turned to face him, shocking him when he saw tears running down her face.

"You won't help! You don't care!" she cried out. Shayera cautiously moved towards Quinn, not wanting to have to block her blows again, but Quinn moved and hugged her in support. Shayera gently rubbed her back and asked, "Why won't he help?"

"It's my best friend, Pamela! She's in trouble!" cried our Harley.

"Uhm, who?"

"Poison Ivy," supplied Batman with a slight growl in his voice. Shayera had the Absorbascon blast images and information of Dr. Pamela Isley, better known to Gotham and the world as Poison Ivy. An Eco-terrorist with a penchant of killing mostly male victims when she enters into her 'passionate' fits.

"You want to break Ivy out?" asked Shayera.

"You don't understand! They're torturing her in there!" cried Harley.

"What?" asked Shayera.

"They're doing experiments on her! Almost the whole committee of board members agreed on this deal with TIER Labs! They're a shady corporation that works for Kit Nosawa! She's always hated Pammy for not joining her terrorist league! They want to use Ivy for her plants and the guard in Belle Reve told me that once they're done with her, they'll kill her!"

Batman and Shayera were stupefied at the information that was given to them. Batman though was feeling very angry at not doing his investigations better. He supported having TIER Labs work in Arkham based on their pitch that they were going to find new drugs that cures the patients permanently… he never knew they meant this permanently though. Bruce knew that by sunrise it will be too late to save Ivy if he held this off. He won't have another death burden him if he can help it.

"We'll help you, but we're doing it my way." said Batman. He could see that even with her mask on, Shayera knew she had done the right thing by calling him. While grateful that she had decided to let him in on her secret friendship with Harley, they still needed to talk about it. Batman jumped down the roof to the Batmobile and began to type in the computer. Harley and Shayera had followed him down the building and waited for him outside the car. He came back from his research and said, "Not even I have enough clearance to get inside the medical wing of Arkham. Much of the board members except for a few don't know what's going on."

"I bet Bruce Wayne has no idea." said Quinn. Shayera and Bruce were actually surprised to hear her acknowledge Wayne as an innocent that Batman asked, "What makes you say that?"

"He's a nice guy. He didn't press charges on me the one time I stole his car. He was pretty understanding that I was having a bad day the day he talked to me in court." explained Harley.

"If you recall, I was the one who said that we all have bad days." said Batman.

"Yeah you did," said Harley, "But I don't know what your days are like. Bruce Wayne… everybody in Gotham knows."

Shayera glanced at Bruce to see him looking at Quinn in a new light. Bruce knew that there was still a small form of Harleen Quinzel in Harley Quinn, and this just proved it. "Listen Quinn," he growled, not wanting to appear soft or compliant, "When we free Ivy, she's going to be placed in another holding facility. She's still a public menace."

"Fine! Just get her out of there!" said Harley, happy and surprised that the big bat was actually going to help her. The trio made their way to Arkham with Harley riding in the car with Batman and Shayera flying overhead. It was awkward to say the least. Harley was half tempted to press any one of the buttons in the car but restrained herself, remembering the last time she did they had almost crashed years ago.

"So Bats," said Harley, not liking the silence at all, "What's you deal with Shay?"

"None of your concerns." said Batman, irritated that Quinn had to pick a very controversial topic that has taken hold over the Wayne household. After the Scarecrow incident, not only has Alfred decided to drop not so subtle clues about his and Shayera's relationship but Barbara has seemed to want to play matchmaker, trying to set up Bruce Wayne with a date every Friday night. Whenever Bruce voiced his displeasure, Barbara would slyly remark how he should invite Shayera over then to spend the night. Tim was the biggest supporter though, openly telling Bruce how he thought he and Shayera would make a good couple.

"Come on Bats," teased Harley, "I don't mean anything like romantic! I just want to know, how'd a sweet gal like her end up being friends with a dark guy like you?"

"That's still none of your concerns." said Batman. Harley gave a snort at his words and said, "Well you're no fun."

"Let me ask you something," said Batman, wanting to turn the tables, "Why did you leave the Joker?"

"Are you kidding me?" asked Harley, "After what he did to Bud and Lou… to me? Not anymore…"

Batman was quiet as he went over her words, feeling a small form of respect for Harley. It did take a lot to give up a drug after all.

"Why did you make Hawkgirl keep your correspondence a secret?" asked Batman.

"Well since you asked so nicely," said Harley snidely, "I was running from Waller. I've heard at the time that she was looking for recruits to this… team. I just had my freedom and she wanted to lock me up in Belle Reve for loitering in front of the library."

"What team?" asked Batman.

"Can't say, let's just say that the trigger word is just dying to go boom." said Harley. Batman felt his brows furrow but decided to investigate on it later, he needed to keep asking questions as long as Harley was being honest.

"So why go to Hawkgirl then?" asked Batman.

"The first time I had met her, she looked like the hit and ask questions later type of girl. So imagine how surprised I was that she didn't attack me and just kept the mood friendly. I knew I could count on her if something happened to me so I asked her to be ready for anything. Long story short, we became friends." said Harley.

"Why a secret though?"

"Wild Card! Hello!" said Harley as though it was the most obvious thing. Batman blinked in surprise but maintained his cool feature. Shayera and Harley both acting as Wild Cards is actually an interesting concept and he decided to think more on it later. If Harley was cooperative then he can have an informant deep inside the criminal world with Shayera as a correspondent.

"I'm at Arkham," said Shayera's voice in the communicator, "Where are you?"

"Still on our way. Harley and I will be by the East side of the island, there's a hidden drain pipe that we can use to gain access." said Batman. Harley was surprised to hear about the drain but said nothing, not wanting to give Batman any reason to distrust her at this crucial point. They reached Arkham Island silently, with Batman pressing a button that had the whole vehicle go dark. The windshield was suddenly lit with night vision, allowing them to navigate through the island silently. Harley was amazed at the level of tech that was used in this car and quietly said, "Wowee."

They parked the car well away from prying eyes and walked to the thicket of oak trees where they heard rustling. Looking up, Bruce couldn't help but smirk at the night predator appearance Shayera looked. The mace glinted menacingly at her side while her talon hand was clutching the branch to keep her balance.

"Let's go." said Batman as he walked towards the covered drainpipe. Moss and fungus grew over the wood planks that covered the pipe, making it blend in well to the side of the island. They climbed in one by one with Batman taking lead, Harley following behind him and Shayera covering from the back.

Shayera kept her wings folded in as tight as possible, not wanting to deal with preening her feathers for sewage. Preening was already a tedious chore and she did not want to spend a whole day in her attic trying to get rid of the smell. Shayera kept close to Harley and Bruce, not wanting to get separated from them in this network of tunnels. The Absorbascon could only give her the layout of the Asylum, but this network underneath the building was outdated and probably hasn't been explored since it was first built. Shayera wondered where the passages led when Batman suddenly signaled them to stop. A crunching sound was heard as it echoed through the pipeline.

Batman signaled for them to silently crouch and walk forward. Shayera had no idea what to expect. Aside from Joker and Scarecrow, Shayera never actually fought with any other of Batman's Rogue Gallery. She was feeling a little nervous, after remembering the incident with Scarecrow and hoped that she wouldn't have another psychotic episode. They walked along the wall and turned a corner to see a scale-skinned behemoth eating a leg. Shayera felt sick as she watched this… monster… eat the leg of a deceased officer. His corpse—or what's left of it—was rotting away next to the crouched creature. Shayera felt bile rise up in her throat but she quickly swallowed it, wincing at the acidic taste. Harley gently patted her back, giving her a small smile of support as Batman signaled for Shayera for both to move forward on his signal.

He walked directly behind the creature, gave the signal and yelled, "CROC!" Shayera led Harley forward quickly to avoid the creature's peripheral vision, successfully navigating behind him.

"Batman," growled the creature, Croc, as he dropped the leg and stood at his full height, "Nosawa did say to expect you tonight."

"What's Nosawa doing here?" asked Bruce.

"None of your concerns," snarled Croc as he charged at Batman. Batman successfully dodged his attack and threw a couple of flash pellets. Croc was blinded but still attempted to swipe around, hoping to slash Batman in half. Batman easily dodged his swings and with a swift upper kick he hit Croc right under his jaw. Croc fell back with a startled yelp but he quickly got up and continued his attempts to hit blindly. Batman used his grappling hook to grip the ceiling and launched himself at Croc for another high-powered kick. He managed to kick Croc in the face but was suddenly hit by Croc's backhand. He groaned as he hit the wall and slid down on the ground. Croc managed to regain his sight and quickly gripped Batman by his cape and swung him around the area, hitting him against the ceiling, wall, and floor.

"Any last words?" snarled Croc, as he raised his clawed hand to finally Batman once and for all. "Big smile, crocodile!" Croc turned to see the winged hero of Midway City swing her mace and hit him upside the head. Croc cried out as electricity ran through his body and dropped Batman.

Harley restrained Shayera earlier in the fight when she wanted to fly in and help Bruce. She . Harley had whispered to her, "Stop! These pipes are about as old as Gotham! It can't handle having more than two fighting!"

When Croc had his clawed hand raised to kill Bruce, Shayera felt Harley release her and whisper, "Go get him!"

Shayera used her own talon hand to swipe at Croc, managing to leave a few gashes in his body. Her rage was clouding her mind. Seeing Bruce getting thrown around had awoken a side of herself she didn't know she had. The last time she felt this much bloodlust was the brief time she had thought Bruce had died during the Imperial Invasion. Croc was soon lying on the ground trying to protect himself from Shayera's blows with her mace. Shayera didn't hear Bruce yell for her to stop but she did feel when his bolas constricted her movement.

"Stop!" ordered Bruce. Shayera looked over Bruce as she calmed down. He looked fine and wasn't too hurt so Shayera easily snapped through the bolas and stepped behind him.

"Now," said Bruce as he stepped into Croc's view, "unless you want me to let her have another round with you, I'd suggest you start talking now." Croc turned his frightened eyes to Shayera who was making a point by swinging her mace around.

"Alright! Alright! Kit paid us all off to keep you from getting into Arkham. She already paid off a few members of the Arkham board members to keep the others from finding out about her trade. Ivy refused to work with Kit and now the bitch is going to get what she deserves." confessed Croc.

"What did Kit pay you? It's obvious you have no need for money." said Batman. Croc grunted and said, "Wasn't it obvious?"

The corpses on the sewer floor were enough to tell Batman why there wasn't an alarm raised. Shayera gave a low growl threateningly when Croc attempted to stand up and he immediately backed down. Croc didn't want to admit it, but she was the first to actually break through his skin and it frightened him that he wasn't as invincible as he thought he was.

"What does she plan to use Ivy's powers for?" asked Batman.

"Some bio-weapon she wants to unleash on Gotham. She needs Ivy though to grow some of the extinct flowers needed for It." said Croc. Batman narrowed his eyes and used his knockout grenade to render Killer Croc unconscious. He used his glue grenade to hold Croc in place and walked away, signaling Shayera to follow him where Quinn was hiding. Shayera followed Bruce and tried to stop herself from walking closer to him. Her heart still clenched whenever the image of Bruce getting thrown about flashed through her head.

"Wow, Shay," said Harley as they continued down the pipes, "Never knew you were quite vicious when you let loose."

"Drop it Harley." said Shayera, not wanting to explain her actions although she knew that she was going to be confronted about it by Batman later. They walked until the reached the basement that interconnected with the sewers. Batman quietly moved the door open and checked the hallways leading into the Asylum. He motioned for Harley and Shayera to follow and they crept along the hallway, with Batman leading them to avoid detection. Batman stopped in front of the security room door and quietly opened the door. Shayera heard several guards laughing and talking amongst themselves.

"Ha Ha Ha! Hold on boys just a few more hours and we end up a couple of million dollars richer!" boasted on of the guards.

"Eh boss? You're not worried that she might back out of the deal?" asked another.

"If she did, then we can easily just turn the tables on her. It's her word against ours." said the other guard. Batman threw a smokescreen in the room and rushed in, knocking out every guard in the room. When the smoke cleared, Batman had tied up all the guards and shoved them in the closet.

"Wow, Bats," praised Harley, "That was way faster than going in and just bumming them on the head."

"Not everyone likes to have a brawl Quinn." said Batman.

"I can name you several benefits in having a brawl." said Quinn.

Shayera looked at the monitoring screens and saw several areas in the Asylum that seemed a bit off.

"Where are the rest of the guards?" she wondered out loud, seeing that the Asylum was mostly empty.

"Eaten by the crocodile or paid off by Nosawa." said Harley as she looked at the screens as well. Batman felt his grip tighten as he realized that much of Arkham was slowly unraveling in front of him. He thought he managed to keep corruption out of the board and that the guards that went through the examination process.

"We'll take advantage of the lack of guards to move around Arkham. Quinn, you stay here and—"

"—Oh no Bats! Ivy is my friend and—"

"—Listen Quinn! You're too noticeable here and if they find out that you're working with us, can you guess how they would react?"

It was quiet until a slow smile spread across Harley's face and she asked, "Are you starting to care for me Bats? Well that's—"

"Quinn the next words out of your mouth and they will be your last." threatened Batman. Harley only laughed though and sat down on the monitoring chair. She pressed a hand to her ear and said, "Yo, Shay? Is this working right now?"

Shayera heard Harley through their comm-link and nodded and said, "I can hear you Harley."

Batman was still studying the screens when he turned to Shayera and said, "Shayera, I need you to fly above and circle above the greenhouse, when I give the signal I want you to charge your mace as high as it will go and demolish the entire building. Nosawa has several equipment set up in the area that needs to be destroyed, but only do it after I give the signal."

Shayera opened the window and flew up into the night sky, feeling her heart beat erratically at Bruce's plan. She had no idea if this was going to work but she trusted Bruce's judgment and waited in the skies.

"Quinn," said Batman as soon as Shayera left, "I need you to be my eyes while I work through the hallways. Ivy is being held in the medical wing where Nosawa has several guards posted. Once I get through to them, Nosawa is going to send more in order to stop me. I want you to give me a warning as soon as they leave their posts and in the greenhouse and to the medical wing."

"Righty-O Bats!" said Harley with a salute and turned her attention to the screens. Batman left the room and quietly made his way to the medical wing. It was going to be a very thin line he was going to walk. Much of the guards were sporting military issued armor, which meant that he was going to have to ditch using his standard tech and rely on his skill. He silently moved along the shadows on the wall and took advantage of the bored stance the guards had. As one yawned and stretched his arms over his head, away from his weapon, Batman quickly had him on a sleeper hold. As the guard fell, the other had already called in for back up but was distracted in his call to see Batman quickly incapacitate him from behind.

Batman quickly walked into the room and saw Poison Ivy strapped to a medical bed and had IVs sticking out in different parts of her arms. So far nothing it looked like life threatening was getting injected into Poison Ivy except sedatives meant to keep her under and quite possibly compliant. Batman quickly removed the needles and bandaged her up, carrying her out of the medical room and proceeding back to the security room.

"Yo Bats! Incoming on the west hall!" he heard Harley say in the comm-link. Batman quickly surveyed the room and found a grate. He removed it as quietly as possible and crawled through, dragging Ivy with him. He covered the opening with the loose grate to seem like it was still connected. He quietly crawled through the vents, careful with Ivy as he made his way to where he knew was an empty hallway.

"Hey Bats, if I'm guessing right," said Harley, "you should go left up ahead and then another left to get into the security room. I have this room barricaded incase they decide to show up."

"Good work, Harley," said Batman, "I need you to tell Shayera to demolish the greenhouse."

"Ivy is not going to be happy." muttered Harley.

"What she feels is not the current issue right now." said Batman.

Shayera was flying up high above Arkham and was awaiting Bruce's signal. She was worried when time passed on silently, not even Harley was attempting to have conversation. Harley's words echoed through Shayera's mind about Bruce's many past relationships. Would it be possible for her to have a relationship with him? She'd like to think so, but Alfred's words years ago also came to mind. Bruce was a very dedicated man to his cause and his pursuit for Justice, which probably meant that he had no time for a family. Shayera wistfully chastised herself, "Come on girl. You're not getting hung up over a guy."

"I could've told you that," said Harley in the comm-link, "I can tell you right now that it can lead to many unhappy years."

"Thanks Harley," said Shayera, a smile spreading across her face at Harley's attempt to cheer her up, "Has there been any word from Batman?"

"Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on him for you on the screens. You know? After spending some years fighting him as Joker's girl, I never really saw the efficiency he uses. It's actually kinda scary to look at."

"Scary only to those who have a reason to be afraid." said Shayera.

"Does fighting him for almost five years and then quitting the cold turkey count?"

Shayera laughed and said, "Yes."

"Shay, I'm bored just sitting here!"

"Do something productive."

"Like what?"

"Erase the video footage of Batman and ourselves. We want to avoid public scrutiny if we are going to successfully free Ivy."

"Good idea! Oh hold on, Shay. More guards have been called in."

Silence that seemed to stretch on for ages tortured Shayera and then she heard Harley tell her, "Bats gave the signal! GO!"

Shayera charged her mace at its full capacity and dove down to the greenhouse. With her hawk-like vision, she can see that it was empty and she burst through the skylight, slamming her mace down on the ground and emitting a powerful electrical wave. The electricity shot through the equipments, overloading the systems and causing explosions to happen simultaneously. Shayera smelled fire and saw that the gardens were not spared from the charge, causing a wildfire. Shayera flew out of the building and heard Harley call in, "Alright Shay, we're together again and we're on our way out. Meet us back at the car."

Shayera flew quickly to the Batmobile, needing to see them safe. This was a very risky operation and Shayera was feeling the anxiety hit her just now. Shayera had it in good mind to use the Absorbascon to hack into the computers of this Kit Nozawa and had sent the files to the Batcave's computers for storage. With those files, they would be able to persecute the members of the board and put Kit on the wanted list. Shayera landed next to the Batmobile and waited for Bruce and Harley. Minutes passed by and Shayera was on edge. She wasn't going to lie and say that this island didn't freak her out. The night mist and the eery noises heard all around her was enough to put her on edge.

She heard movement coming from the east and saw Batman and Harley walking to the car.

Bruce was carrying an unconscious woman in his arms who Shayera guesses to be Poison Ivy. She had vibrant red hair and green tattoos running across her body. She wore a green and black leotard and was breathing heavily as Bruce gently placed her in the backseat of the Batmobile. Shayera was about to ask what was wrong with her when she heard quiet footsteps running at their direction. Shayera quickly flared her wings and covered Harley with the left and Brice with the right, allowing her wings to be impaled with several knives. Shayera grunted in pain but quickly swung her mace and caught the assailant upside her jaw.

The woman yelled out in surprise and was knocked back into a tree. Shayera quickly used her mace again to catch her on the left side of her torso, knocking her to the ground. Shayera then grabbed the woman by the scruff of her shirt and punched her across the face, knocking her unconscious.

"I give that a 10 for quick reaction but a 9.5 for that sloppy knockout." said Harley. Shayera smiled at her and lightly said, "Shut up."

Bruce had never felt that much fear and relief pass through his body until now. When she had covered both himself and Harley with her wings, he couldn't believe that she would handicap herself like that on the spot. Her perseverance to defeat the assailant though was as swift as her beat down on Croc. Kit Nozawa was soon tied up and hanged upside on the tree with a flare signaling her location to the incoming police officers. Batman had already explained the situation to Gordon who was quick to gather a squad and we're making their way to Arkham.

Shayera didn't realize her exhaustion until she fell forward on her knees, spots clouding her vision as she slowly bled from her wings.

"Shayera!" she heard Bruce cry out. She wearily lifted her head and said, "I'm fine. Just tired." She fell forward and Bruce caught her. He quickly ordered Harley to grab the medical kit in the a Batmobile and they quickly patched Shayera up. Shayera was thankful that her biology allows her body to quickly reproduce and replace blood loss. By the time they reached the Batcave with a blindfolded Harley, Shayera was healthy again.

Ivy was placed in an incubation pod where Batman ran diagnostics. Shayera kept an eye on a curious Harley and was quick to stop her from touching anything that could blow up.

"She's alright," diagnosed Batman, "Kit has injected her with a powerful knockout drug. She'll be fine as soon as we return her to Arkham. They'll be able to keep a better on her."

Harley's lip quivered and her eyes watered, making Batman believe that she was upset he was putting Ivy back in Gotham. Instead, Harley threw her arms around him and sobbed out loudly, "TH-THANK Y-YOU!"

Shayera hid her smile behind her hand at the shocked and uncomfortable look that she can see under Batman's cowl. Shayera teasingly said, "None for me?"

Harley threw her hands around Shayera and thanked her too. Harley was blindfolded again as they made their way to Arkham where Batman dropped off a stable Ivy to the medical doctors. Harley remained hidden in the Batmobile as they left Arkham and they converged on the top of the Gotham Merchant Bank again.

"Thank you again. You... you have no idea how much this meant for me." thanked Harley.

"No problem," Said Batman, "just remember that next time, it'd be better if you were honest."

"I promise!" promised Harley. The sound of screeching tires and men shouting filled the air. The three looked over to see military men crowding around the building and a man shouting, "I don't care if we have already checked this place! We will look again until we find the clown!"

"Aw crap! It's Flagg." Said Harley.

"Who?" asked Batman.

"Rick Flagg Jr. He's Waller's personal soldier. He goes out on missions for her and plays the perfect general." explained Harley.

"Well you can still make a getaway." Said Shayera.

"Nah. The only reason why I broke out of Belle Reve was so I can help Ivy. I do have something to ask of you two." said Harley

"What is it?" asked Batman.

Rick Flagg Jr. was getting frustrated at turning up empty in his search for Harley Quinn. He didn't want this to be the first failed mission in his record so he will search for that stupid clown until his feet bleed. Thankfully, the sudden sound of a shriek filled the air.

"To the roof!" ordered Flagg. Flagg and his men ran up the fire escape to be met with the sight of Harley Quinn battling Hawkgirl and Batman.  
"QUINN!" yelled Flagg, "PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" Harley glared and sneered at him but complied, allowing Batman to quickly arrest her and hand her over to Flagg and his men.  
"Hawkgirl. Batman." greeted Flagg. Batman only narrowed his eyes at Flagg while Shayera nodded in acknowledgement.

"We'll be taking Harley Quinn in our custody." said Flagg, feeling a little intimidated at the way Batman remained unmoving while still glaring at him.  
"That's fine with us." said Shayera, watching as they hauled Harley away to Belle Reve. As soon as they left sight, Batman turned to Shayera and asked, "Why did you keep your correspondence with Harley a secret?"

"Truthfully? I promised her. I don't like breaking my promises." explained Shayera. Bruce nodded in understanding and said, "Then I need you to make me a promise."

"What's that?"

"Next time something like this happens, I'll be the first to know. We managed to stop a secret terrorist threat but if you had kept Harley's promise then the outcome would have been more different." explained Batman. Shayera felt shame well up inside her but she nodded her head in consent and said, "I promise."

It was quiet and the two of them stood on the rooftop surveying the unusual quiet night in Gotham. Shayera sighed as she looked at the city lights not realizing that Bruce was staring at her through his peripheral vision. Seeing Ivy weak on the backseat of the Batmobile had brought memories of the first night Shayera had on Earth, when he had first found her.

Looking at her now, he was honestly happy to have been the one to found her. He still didn't want to jeopardize their friendship though, but he was content to have her at his side. What he felt for Shayera was almost greater than what he had felt for Selina or Talia, even. He wanted to hold her in his arms, feel how her wings would feel around him as he kissed. Unknown to Bruce, Shayera was also having the same thoughts. She wondered what it would be like to be held by the dark and mysterious man next to her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him on the lips. Her insecurity however held her back and she decided that it was better not to ruin the good friendship they have. The two lonely heroes looked out in Gotham, each content in the presence of the other.

 _ **Yo readers, what's up? How'd you like the chapter? Read and review please so I may know what you guys would want in later chapters. Thank you and good night :)**_


	16. Assassins and Kings

_Assassins and Kings_

Shayera groaned as she got up from her hammock, intending to start her day earlier than usual. She was actually having a difficult time getting to sleep. For the last week, Shayera requested time off from the League in order to provide extra security in Midway over the recent escalation of political assassinations. Shayera spent many days and nights patrolling the city in hopes of capturing the fiend but lately it was like chasing a ghost. Nights when she was supposed I be asleep were spent taking a five minute nap and staring at the ceiling. So far, the Director of Public Relations and the Finance Director were assassinated through method of poisoning. It was a very high profile case that Emmett would rather keep within the Midway City Police Department, ordering Shayera not to involve the Justice League. Shayera followed orders and it had been just her and Kendra that have been investigating the crime scenes. Their new status as Detectives was met with favorability and suspicion. Many thought that Shayera and Kendra definitely deserved the promotions, but others were skeptical because some thought that Shayera's involvement with the Justice League was what gave her the promotion and Kendra was the niece of the Commissioner.

Shayera and Kendra were determined though to prove to the naysayers that they deserve their promotions. This assassination investigation could be the one to convince people that Shayera and Kendra were capable detectives; it was just the stress though that Shayera felt every morning hoping that nobody else died next and that she and Kendra would be capable to stop the perpetrator soon. So far, the only connection Shayera could make was that the Finance Director and the Public Relations Director were both poisoned by a rare wolfsbane, found only in Central America. Shayera had asked Kendra to check the flight records of all incoming passengers for the last month while she used the Absorbascon to scan the Deep Web. It was disturbing to read the many websites that were presented to her and she often bookmarked several sites in order to properly investigate them during her time in the League. With Bruce's help, she was able to help shut down several sites and put many horrible people behind bars. Amanda Waller at one point had inquired as to how Shayera was capable of infiltrating many of the websites, to which she replied that Batman had the advanced computers she needed in order to fully hack into the systems. Much of her hacking skills just came with advance alien knowledge. Shayera stretched as she fully got ready for the day and flew out the balcony, waving to people below as they some yelled good morning to Midway's Hero.

As Shayera flew to the Police Station, she looked below at the people she had adopted as her own. Midway City had grown significantly since Shayera had decided to make Midway her home. It was now equal in Industrialization and Business to Metropolis and Gotham, giving the city a healthy source of income. Bruce had told her it had to do with his dealings with many companies in Midway, creating a Wayne Branch within the city in order help spread the engineering 'miracles' Wayne Industries was able to 'discover'. Midway City became the first city in the country to use maglev trains, a mode of transportation that has been in discussion in the United States since 1968.

As Shayera flew to the steps of the Police Department, she was greeted with the sight of Emmett and Andrew getting into a police car. Emmett saw Shayera fly over and waved her over in order to speak with her. As Shayera landed, Emmett walked to her and said, "Grubs and I have been asked to help with an investigation over in Coast City. I'm leaving the Assistant Commissioner in charge while I'm gone. Keep an eye on the city while I'm gone ok?"

"As though you have to ask me," said Shayera with a slight smile. Emmett chuckled and patted Shayera on the back before getting into the driver's seat. Grubs quickly motioned to Shayera and she went over to the passenger seat of the car. Grubs rolled down the window and said, "Kendra will be along shortly. Listen, Margaret Banks is a very vicious lady so please help keep Kendra's temper down while I'm gone." Shayera nodded in agreement, knowing firsthand how Kendra's easy going nature can switch from hot to cold in an instant. Shayera waved good-bye to Emmett and Grubs as they left and waited for Kendra to arrive. From around the street corner ten minutes later, Kendra came speed walking carrying two thermoses. She nodded in greeting to Shayera and handed her one of the thermoses.

"I had to drop Junior off with Aunt Alice," explained Kendra about her tardiness, "and she wanted me to hand you one of her hot chocolates for this season." Shayera perked up at hearing that the thermos contained Alice's famous Mexican hot chocolate. Shayera assumed it had to do with the retreating summer season and the incoming fall season. Shayera was suddenly hit with the realization that it was almost a year since the Justice League was formed. She wondered if they would celebrate the anniversary like she knew most humans liked to do. For sure, Flash would try to pull something like it. He might rope Lantern and Superman into it and Diana would go along with it, not wanting to be left out of experiencing anything in 'man's' world. If Flash could actually get Bruce to celebrate something like an anniversary, then she would buy him his lunch for a year.

As Kendra and Shayera walked in the Police Department they were immediately called over, "GRUBS! HAWKGIRL! TO MY OFFICE, NOW!"

Kendra and Shayera glanced at each and quickly made their way to the Assistant Commissioner's office. Shayera had only ever had to encounter the woman twice in her entire time spent on Earth and they were during social events. Shayera has heard about Margaret Banks' reputation as an Iron Woman. She was difficult to please but not impossible to work with. So long as Shayera kept to her routine and kept an eye on Kendra, then today wouldn't be as stressful as she had dreaded this morning. Of course, she thought this right before Banks began to talk, "I don't believe the two of you deserve those detective badges. I have spoken with Emmett and tried to make him see that his decision was biased and I have decided to see if you two even deserve those badges."

Shayera instinctively grabbed onto Kendra's shoulder, stopping her from jumping up and begin a tirade against the older woman. Thankfully Banks was looking out the window when she had begun her talk and looked at the two detectives. "You have until tonight to present me with a solid lead in this assassination case, otherwise I'm removing the both of you off this case." said Banks. It took everything in Shayera's power not to burst out and behave in the same way Kendra would normally do. How dare this woman try to humiliate her! If she wanted a solid lead then Shayera would do it, without anyone's help aside from Kendra's. They were dismissed from the office and Kendra and Shayera moved to the roof of the Police Station.

"That bitch!" yelled Kendra, as she paced around while Shayera looked over the streets, "She wants a solid lead then fine! We'll give her the damn assassin by tonight if she thinks you and I aren't capable of performing as detectives! And to think, she even doubts _your_ skills."

"It's alright Kendra," said Shayera, "We'll give her the solid lead and if we can wrap the case by tonight, then even better for us. It will show the doubters that we do deserve our rank."

Kendra and Shayera made their way to the museum where they can work more comfortably in Shayera's attic. With the Absorbascon hidden in the closet, Shayera had left the living brain to absorb all forms of information found in the Deep Web. Kendra and Shayera greeted Mavis as they made their way to the attic and Shayera was quick to check on the Absorbascon. She felt relief to see that it was still in the location and still functioning properly. She looked over to Kendra and said, "I'm going to put this on, I don't know how long it will take to file through the information so could you quickly check up on the city council and see if there might be an important event that might attract our killer?"

Kendra nodded and left while Shayera put the Absorbascon on, feeling the familiar sting and headache that came when she 'dumped' information inside her head. If her previous investigations in the Deep Web was horrifying, it had nothing compared to learning about the sadistic fetishes, the disgusting things sold online, and the horrific 'live' theater played for the amusement of sick people. Shayera was quick to file through the information, finally discovering a site for hired assassins. She filed through the list and found a promising lead. It read:

 **Professional Level**

 **Location: Midway City, New York**

 **Names: Alicia Bitters, Jaime Sumner, and Hunter Magnate**

 **Price: 1,000,000$**

 **Need the hits to be done by end of third week of August.**

The name Copperhead was attached next to the advertisement, confirming that he had taken the contract. Shayera was about to remove the Absorbascon when another hit caught her attention. She looked it over as it read:

 **Professional Target**

 **Location: Metropolis Harbor**

 **Name: Arthur Orin**

 **Price: Upon meeting, we shall discuss the price range**

 **Must contact soon**

Right below the advertisement, Shayera read the name of the man who took the contract: Deadshot. Shayera gasped as she finally removed the Absorbascon, feeling almost sick by the way the room was spinning. Shayera took a few minutes to get used to the room again. As she regained control over her senses, Shayera knew that there was no hope for a restful night after the things she had just witnessed on Deep Web. Shayera shuddered at the videos that had played and she vowed that during her spare time she will help the unfortunate victims that had been used for someone else's sick pleasure. Shayera moved to fly out when she decided to inform Superman about the hit made on Arthur Orin. Whoever the man is, he is in serious danger and Shayera hopes that Superman would be able to reach him in time.

She clicked on the comm-link and tried to connect with Superman… nothing. She decided that he must be out of range and tried Diana, who took over Monitor Duty for Flash, who needed to be present for the Flash Day ceremony in Central City. Again, she couldn't connect with Diana. Next she tried Green Lantern and growled in frustration when she couldn't connect. J'onn was the same way and she tried to call out to him telepathically but nothing. Shayera was close to cursing when she remembered that Batman was currently in Gotham. If she can't reach Superman then Batman had a higher chance to contact him. Shayera began the connection and was elated that he answered with a brisk, "Shayera?"

"Batman, I'm currently in an investigation and I managed to come by an assassination contract made in Metropolis." said Shayera.

"Why not contact Superman" asked Batman as he typed into the computer to open up his connection so Shayera can send the information.

"He's not responding. I've tried to contact Diana, J'onn, and Lantern and they also have their lines disconnected." said Shayera as she willed the Absorbascon to send the assassination information to Batman.

"They must be on a mission then," said Batman as he received the files, "Continue with your investigation and I'll try to get into contact with Superman. How did you come across this information?"

"Deep Web." Said Shayera, a slight hitch in her voice as she recalled the video of the man screaming. Bruce heard the hitch and asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," said Shayera as she quickly shook her head in order to clear her mind, "I'll try to finish this investigation soon to help."

"Don't rush anything Shayera," advised Bruce as he began to search for Arthur Orin, "Be sure to cover all your tracks and be careful." Shayera smiled at his words and said, "Ok, I'll contact you if there's anything else."

Shayera left the attic and made her way downstairs, intent on leaving to reunite with Kendra when a thought suddenly occurred to her. Whoever had put the hit was very specific about the hits being done until the end of August. Shayera thought it over and realized the connection. She walked along the exhibits looking for Mavis and finally found her and Danny arguing over a folder in Danny's office.

"Mavis!" she called out, wanting to get things done quickly before anything happens. Mavis looked up and greeted Shayera with a smile, "Hey Shay! How's the investigation?"

"Hopefully finished by tonight. I need you to call Kendra. I may have found the connection we needed to solve this case." said Shayera. Mavis took her cellphone out quickly and Kendra answered immediately, "Hello?"

Mavis put the phone on speaker and Shayera said, "Kendra, are you anywhere near Jaime Sumner?"

"The Parks and Recreations Director? He's actually with me right now, I was asking him if there was—"

"Kendra, he's the next target!" interrupted Shayera, needing Kendra to listen.

"What?" asked Kendra.

"The city elections are in the first week of September. Alicia Bitters and Hunter Magnate were both running for re-election! Ask Jaime if he is running for re-election." said Shayera. Mavis and Danny were listening with suspense as Kendra confirmed a minute later, "Yeah, yeah he is. Jesus Christ Shay. Do you think it's anyone in this building that has been pulling the hits?"

"I don't believe so," said Shayera, "One of the things your uncle has made me do in my early years here in Midway was to check the background of every city official. As far as I can tell, whoever the new candidates are would be our best bet. There's too many running for the positions."

"Then what? You want me to keep him in his office?" asked Kendra. Shayera thought it over quickly and said, "Yes, keep him there until I inform Banks."

"Shay, do you know the name of the assassin?" asked Kendra.

"Someone who goes by the name of Copperhead." said Shayera. Mavis and Danny both stiffened at the name while Kendra swore on the other line. Shayera looked confused and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Copperhead has always been an urban legend around these parts. A swift poisonous bite and that's it, witnesses always tell the media that they've seen a snake-man slither away from the crime scene but no one was able to confirm his existence." said Danny.

"Why is he a problem now then? Why haven't we made this connection?" asked Shayera.

"The victims were poisoned injection, not a bite," said Kendra, "If it was a bite then we could have easily have identified him as the killer."

"Stay with Jaime Kendra, I'll be over shortly." said Shayera. Mavis hung up the phone and said, "Be careful Shayera. Copperhead has always been an urban legend because he kills and sneaks away with only a shadow left."

"Hmm, well as far as snake-head is concerned, I'm a hawk. I'm the one that's on top of the food chain." said Shayera confidently. She flew away from the museum and made her way to City Hall. She caught a small thermal wind and rose above the buildings, giving her a better bird's eye view of the streets. She highly doubted she would be able to spot a man dressed in a snake costume walking among the civilians. She can only hope that she could perhaps lure out the killer. Shayera descended on the steps of City Hall and greeted the security officials, who after a brief check-up, they allowed Shayera through. She asked the secretary for Jaime Sumner's office and was led to the top part of the building. Shayera walked in the office to see a middle aged man holding his head in his hands as he controlled his breathing while Kendra stood by the window with the blinds closed.

Upon seeing Shayera enter the office, Kendra gently moved to the man and said, "Sir? Hawkgirl is here. I promise that we will do everything in our power to keep you safe."

The man looked up to Hawkgirl and cried out, "Thank you! Thank you so much! I have a little boy at home, I'm all he has left." Shayera felt her heart twist and she wondered how the poor families of the previous two victims were doing. Did they too leave behind children orphaned? Shayera walked up to him and said, "I promise sir, you'll be safe."

It took a while, almost close to midnight, but after Kendra had the good mind to call in Banks about their discovery, SWAT forces was concealed as citizens and civil workers. Shayera and Kendra remained inside with Jaime until Kendra heard Banks call through the police radio, "Alright girls, we have a shadowed figured climbing up the side of the building, be alert and push him out so the SWAT division can handle him."

Kendra felt her heart beating erratically in her chest. She never had to deal with these types of criminals before as she hid behind the closet door. This was a professional killer who at one point served as an Urban Legend during her training years. Shayera was crouched under the desk, ready to shield Jaime who was pretending to be doing some work. Shayera watched as the window slid open quietly and a pair of yellow eyes peeked over the window sill. Shayera reacted almost the same speed as Copperhead did, knocking the assassin back into the wall and using her talon hand to grip his costume. Kendra was just as swift as she led Jaime away to safety while Shayera tackled Copperhead outside the window. She flapped her wings until they were in the middle of the front lawn and Shayera quickly raised her arm brace to shield herself as Copperhead intended to bite her. Shayera quickly grabbed her mace and knocked Copperhead back into the city fountain where SWAT forces were quick to surround the unconscious assassin. As Copperhead was led away, Banks approached Shayera and Kendra who were separated from the group.

"You ladies certainly proved me wrong today," said Banks, with a smirk, "I'll be sure to admit to Emmett that he isn't such a half-wit." Kendra scoffed at her words in good nature while Shayera smiled and bowed her head in respect to Banks as she walked away. Kendra did a slight dance as soon as Banks was out of sight, making Shayera laugh out loud. Kendra had been the one to quickly make the connection about the candidates when Shayera had earlier informed her of her suspicions. Hugo Smith, Steve Jacks, and Daniel Escobar were all in the pocket of Mob Boss Harrison, who had probably tried to retain control over Midway even if he sat in a jail cell. The three candidates were quickly arrested after Copperhead was properly detained to Stryker's Island and Shayera and Kendra were resting comfortably with Alice and Junior.

"I'm so proud of you _mija_." said Alice as she handed Shayera another cup full of the Mexican hot chocolate, "Wait until your _tio_ comes back to hear the good news." Junior was happily clapping in his mother's lap as Shayera lightly brushed her wing against him when she received a call through the comm-link.

"Hawkgirl, here."

"Shayera, I need you to get to the Metropolis General Hospital, now!" ordered Bruce. Shayera quickly jumped to attention and handed Alice back the cup. After promising to visit them soon, Shayera left the cozy house to fly into the crisp night air and comm-linked to Batman, "I need a teleport. I'm too far away."

The feeling of the teleportation was suddenly around her and she was soon in front of the Metropolis General Hospital. She looked around in confusion until she caught sight of Batman who was waiting for her in front of the hospital. "How?" she asked, not sure how to ask the question.

"I had Flash resume his monitor duties after Flash Day was done, I need your help in setting the pod up." said Batman as he led Shayera into the hospital. She saw the familiar sight of the incubation pod normally found in the Batcave. After spending a good portion of the early morning setting it up, Shayera asked, "What do you need this for?"

Just as soon as she said it, the doors burst open and she looked to see a blonde-haired man get wheeled into the hospital room, followed by Superman, Diana, J'onn, and Lantern. Superman and Batman quickly placed the blonde-haired man in the incubation pod where Shayera watched as he filled it with water. A doctor came running in and checked the monitor before exclaiming, "He's stabilizing! How did you know?"

"He's a fish out of water. Keep the sodium at three percent and he'll heal on his own." informed Batman. Shayera glanced at the others to see them worse for the wear. Their mission must have taken its toll on them. Shayera looked at Diana and asked, "Care to give me a brief summary?"

And what a summary it was. The man in the pod is actually a king of the underwater city of Atlantis. Shayera recalled the Absorbascon feeding her the myth surrounding Atlantis but she had no reason to follow up on it considering how she lives on land and air rather than land and sea. The king was lucky to have survived the rocket blast that was aimed at him and Shayera stood guard over him while the others rested, ignoring her own need for sleep. Bruce had been the one to quickly connect the dots after learning about the existence of the Atlantean king. The King turned out to be the Arthur Orin from the Assassination contract Shayera had sent to Batman.

Shayera felt her eyes closing in exhaustion when she heard the glass tapping that she turned to see the King waking up and rising out of the pod, fully regenerated. She quickly woke the others and they were quick to surround the King. Apparently his diplomatic arrival wasn't so well rehearsed.

"I need to get back to my kingdom," he demanded, to which Shayera fell down on the seat as Lantern demanded, "Not until you tell us where you took the warheads."

"My orders were to leave the submarine alone," snarled the king, "believe what you want but I must return to my kingdom."

"I'd advise you to wait, your majesty," said Superman, "the man who tried to kill you is still out there and we need to find out who he is first before we can let you leave."

"His name is Deadshot," yawned Shayera, "he's been hired by some unknown patron. I bet he's waiting outside until you leave to finish the job."

All was quiet in the room, but Shayera paid little attention to it. Too tired to care up until she was suddenly lifted off the chair by her armor collar and face to face with an angry king.

"How did you come across such information? Are you a spy?" demanded the King. Shayera sputtered as Batman quickly tried to intervene.

"I was handling a similar case yesterday! I was investigating and I didn't realize the contract was for you!" explained Shayera. When he didn't let go of her though, Shayera took his wrist and easily flipped him over her shoulder. He looked mystified that she had managed to break free of his hold and he got up from the floor in order to properly address her.

"How did you come across this information?"

Shayera was feeling exhaustion take over her senses. She needed sleep. Five nights straight without any sleep and Shayera was actually surprised she has lasted this long. Diana was the one to spot her exhaustion and gestured to Batman to take over.

"Shayera, get some rest. We'll handle the mission." ordered Batman. Shayera nodded in sluggishly and to the amusement of everyone but the king, she fell right to sleep on the hospital bed. Batman just shook his head at the sight and gestured to everybody to leave the room quietly. He motioned for a doctor to come over and instructed him to check on Hawkgirl's progress. Her over exhaustion was too much and she needed time to rest.

"She worked herself too hard this week trying to stop the assassin in Midway." noted J'onn as they left the hallway and into a conference room.

"It's unhealthy." said Batman, already planning a lecture in his head.

"Sounds like somebody I know," teased Superman, looking at Batman. Batman just glared at him before the group began to plan in order to help Aquaman. It was going to be a long and tedious mission and for once, Bruce envied Shayera's brief break.

 _ **Hey readers :) so I want to take a poll on some chapter decisions before I start writing them. For 'A Better World' should Flash still be the slain hero or should I make it Shayera or Bruce? For 'Only a Dream' I want to switch Batman's role with Shayera because I find it more believable that John Dee's ESP shouldn't break through Shayera's capabilities since J'onn couldn't infiltrate her mind easily. Thanks for reading and please leave reviews :)**_


	17. An Unfound Family

_An Unfound Family_

Shayera worried for Diana when she noticed the Amazon Princess get dangerously distracted during missions. Today for example, Shayera had cried out to Diana to quickly block the cave entrance in order to stop the alien beast from escaping. The beast looked like a hybrid of a giant rat and a crocodile and it had been sent to Earth by one of Superman's many enemies from across the galaxy in order to terminate him. The sender had left a threatening message to Superman but the pod landed in the Gotham Swamps instead of Metropolis like the sender had wanted to. With Superman fighting against Parasite in Metropolis and Batman actually spending the day as Bruce Wayne in order to run his company, Shayera, Diana, and J'onn were the only ones capable at the time to take care of the problem. They arrived to the Gotham Swamps were they at first had trouble with locating it, but it made its appearance known when it attempted to bite J'onn's head off. J'onn was quick to phase through the ground and allow the beast to face plant itself. The beast attempted to attack Shayera but a quick swing of her charged mace made it retreat further into the swamp.

They managed to corner it into a cave, but they had to capture it in order to send it in an uninhibited planet J'onn had managed to find. Shayera and J'onn agreed to enter the cave in order to flush it out while Diana stood guard at the entrance. Using her mace for light, they had found the beast attempting to dig its way out and it turned once it had been spotted. The creature let loose a chilling screech before climbing up on the ceiling and going around Shayera and J'onn. It had begun to race outside when Shayera cried out to Diana to block the entrance.

Diana though was either too slow or distracted to react and had given the beast enough time to plow its way past her and into the woods. Thankfully, J'onn had been with them and had quickly trapped the beast in a makeshift pen made of trees, before the transportation pod landed in their location and they had quickly tranquilized the beast and placed it inside the pod and sent it off into space. Diana spent the rest of the morning apologizing to Shayera and J'onn, not accepting to forgive herself even when Shayera and J'onn had already forgiven her. It got to the point where Shayera needed to distract Diana from the almost failed mission and suggested to J'onn that she take over his Monitor Duties in order to help Diana work out whatever problems that seem to be bothering her.

Shayera stretched her arms above her head as she monitored the Earth below her. It was getting easier by the day calling Earth her home now. There were less nights spent dreaming of Thanagar and more nights dreaming of Midway, her friends, and Bruce. The dreams about Bruce would often cause her to wake up blushing in the morning, but she often didn't mind at all. With five years—soon to be six—passing by, Shayera was content enough to admit that she was happy to have been stranded on Earth.

The real issue at hand though was to find out what is causing Diana's distraction. Much of the world has already come to call her as Wonder Woman and Diana took the name in stride, acting very much like the diplomat that she was raised to be. Shayera looked over at Diana to see her looking at Earth in the same manner Shayera used to look at the stars. Homesickness was a recurring theme among the three members of the Justice League. Where Superman, Bruce, Lantern, and Flash have their own homes on Earth, J'onn and Shayera come from different worlds while Diana's home was a magical island to which she is terrified of returning to.

Shayera understood how Diana must be feeling. How many times has she gotten in trouble during her youth years that she would be terrified to return home? Way too many times, Shayera knows, but her mother and father have always been firm but never cruel in their punishments. Shayera was sure that Diana's mother is the same way; Diana just needed to confront her mother and admit her wrongs… even if those wrongs helped save the planet. Just when Shayera was going to turn and try to talk with Diana, a red alert flashed through the screens. Shayera quickly punched in the coordinates to see a surprise Hurricane warning in the city of Metropolis. Diana quickly called in Superman and said, "Superman! Is everything alright in Metropolis? Do you need help?"

"A helping hand would be nice," said Superman, "I'm keeping the reactor core in the Labs stable, but the rescue units might need an extra hand."

"I'll go." said Diana. She flew to the transportation pod and signaled to Shayera to send her to Metropolis. Shayera waited until she saw Diana in the newscast before calling in to Superman, "Superman?"

"Hawkgirl? What's the problem?" asked Superman.

"Superman, when you have the time could you please keep an eye on Diana? She seemed pretty distracted this morning and she wouldn't really open up to me or J'onn. If you have the time, please try to get her to open up." Said Shayera. Superman finished stabilizing the core and said, "Alright, Hawkgirl. I'll see what's going on."

Shayera monitored the news alert and didn't hear someone walk in. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder and flared her wings to push the intruder back. A familiar grunt made her turn around and she quickly helped Bruce up, setting him down on the chair next to her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I was a little distracted."

"Seems like you're not the only one." said Bruce, pointing at the screen. Shayera turned to the newscast and watch Superman quickly push a distracted Diana out of harm's way.

"She's been like this since this morning." said Shayera, exasperated at Diana's obvious lack of focus.

"She needs a little push in the right direction." said Bruce, typing into the computer and downloading mission reports of the last month.

"I already asked Superman to speak with her."

"Maybe, but Superman still has his family that he can visit anytime he wants. J'onn had already tried to speak with her and has informed me that Diana isn't considering his words."

"You think she'll listen to me?"

"Of us all, you two are more alike than we can every try to have." said Bruce as he left the room. Shayera had to smirk at his brisk exit. Even when it is just the two of them, he's still dramatic with his exits. Shayera sighed and leaned back on her seat. She waited until Superman and Diana requested to be teleported back up that she finally knew how to approach Diana. As Superman left to fill in a mission report, Shayera waved at Diana and said, "Come on. Flash and Lantern are going to take over right now and I need a sparring partner."

Diana followed Shayera to the training room and Shayera removed her armor and placed her mace to the side. When all she had on was her tracksuit and mask she gestured to Diana to remove her arm braces and tiara. Once both women were unarmed, the timer started and Shayera immediately went on the offense. She had to hand it to Diana, whatever they taught her in Themysciria they taught her well. Shayera used her wings as natural cover and was able to at least absorb Diana's kicks. Shayera relied much on her light-weight to move around Diana quickly, often at times coming behind the Amazon and surprising her with brief hold. Of course, when up against an Amazon one has to consider the strength and Shayera often had to quickly somersault off Diana in order to avoid getting pinned. The match felt like forever in Shayera's mind, but when Diana finally had the winged woman pinned the timer read five minutes.

"One… of these days," gasped Shayera, regaining her breath, "I'll… last till ten minutes." Diana chuckled and helped Shayera sit up before responding, "Perhaps if you removed your mask, then your senses will be more attuned to your surroundings."

"My mask is an extension of myself, princess." explained Shayera, "Earth has so many different cultures that it is almost impossible for me to try and keep up with one, on Thanagar there is one rule when going outside and it is to always wear your mask until you are in the presence of family or close friends… it's a social rule."

"You are amongst friends though, are you not?" asked Diana. This gave Shayera pause. For the last months, she had gotten closer to the League than she had ever anticipated. She went to bars with Flash and Lantern, earning herself a reputation in Central City, Midway, and Detroit as a heavy drinker without the drunk. She often played chess with J'onn after he revealed that she gave him a better competition than the others because he cannot read her mind and they often spent long nights in Monitor duties eating Oreos after Shayera had introduced him to the cookies. With Superman she was able to at least let go of her fear behind the Kryptonian legends, finally seeing Superman more as an overpowered human than the dictators she has always heard the Kryptonians to be. With Bruce… Bruce was a very complicated matter altogether and she still needed to figure out how to approach it. At least with Diana, Shayera had the peace of mind to know that the older woman could be regarded as a sister.

"I'll… have to think on that. Speaking of being amongst friends, I know what's bugging you." said Shayera as she sat up. Diana looked at her in surprise and said, "I know. Superman has already talked to me about it."

"So then what are you going to do about it?" asked Shayera.

"I was thinking about visiting my mother and accept whatever punishment that will be handed to me." said Diana.

"Good," said Shayera, "It's not good to keep a barrier in a relationship nor to try and avoid the problem."  
"You speak from experience then?" asked Diana.

"Don't you know it" laughed Shayera, "I was a bit of a trouble maker in my younger years and my mother has often told me that she hopes I will have a child that caused as much trouble as I did. Every time though, I was always terrified of the punishment that was going to be handed out to me. Every time, my parents were calm and forgiving. I was punished sure, but they always made sure that I still felt loved."

"I worry my mother might be too angry."

"I always worried about that, but my mother was never one to be angry and hold a grudge. Is yours the same way?"

"No."

"See? Now, get on a Javelin and go speak with you mother. The Seven Heavens already know that I would have taken that chance if it had been presented to me." said Shayera. Diana looked at Shayera and asked, "Do you no longer wish to return to your home planet?"

Shayera was quiet as she thought over her answer and said, "If you had asked me that last year, I would have said yes with no hesitation. Now? I feel that I have lived my entire life here on Earth. My family by now thinks I'm dead, lit my funeral pyre, and have moved on. I have done the same and while I miss home, Earth isn't such a bad place to live in. You humans are truly an extraordinary race."

Diana smiled and gently patted Shayera's shoulder and said, "You'll always have a home with us." Shayera smiled at her comment and said, "Hurry up and get out. It's better to pull the band aide out now than later."

When Diana left, Shayera tiredly put her armor back on and made her way back to the teleportation pad, where she asked Lantern to transport her back to Midway City. She was transported outside the museum and she made her way inside to see movers moving Greek artifacts inside the Museum. Shayera walked inside the museum and searched for Mavis and found her directing the movers as to where to put the artifacts.  
"Mavis! New exhibit?" asked Shayera.

"Yes! Oh, I'm so excited! This will be the first time the Midway City Museum will have a Greek Exhibit. It's only temporary though, much of the artifacts are on loan from the Metropolis Museum and get this! Bruce Wayne has even decided to loan some of his own Greek Artifacts for the museum! Some of his artifacts date back to 375 BC! Do you have any idea how amazing it is to have artifacts survive that long to this day? It's amazing!" said Mavis excitedly. Shayera could have sworn that she did not take a single breath while she explained about the exhibit to Shayera.

"You got to love Bruce Wayne, you know? I would have thought he would loan these artifacts to the Gotham Natural History Museum, but here he is donating it like nothing to another city! I swear, first the donations for the Doom Patrol exhibit, then setting up a branch here in Midway, and now this? Do you think he's in love with someone here and trying to impress her?" asked Mavis. Shayera was absolutely happy that she had her mask on, otherwise the blush would have been extremely noticeable as she thought about it. She cursed her stupid heart for beating erratically at the thought. She chanted to herself that much of Bruce's actions were for an end to a means. Setting up a branch in Midway provided more business to his business empire, he wanted to honor the fallen heroes of the Doom Patrol for saving the Earth, and as for the Greek exhibit… well, maybe he wanted to do something nice outside of Gotham.

 _All of his actions had nothing to do with me_ , thought Shayera to herself, ignoring the little pang of hurt that echoed in her heart. After bidding Mavis a good-night, Shayera walked up to her attic and welcomed the serenity that came with it.

With her shift starting again in the early morning, Shayera wanted to squeeze in a few hours before she resumed her duties as a Detective. If she got up early enough, she might bid Mavis a good morning before going to work. Shayera laid down on her hammock and gently rocked herself, leaving the radio on in case of an emergency. She hoped that Diana could work out whatever problems she and her mother have and clear the air. She drifted off to sleep and welcomed the dreams.

 _Meanwhile in Themysciria_

"Just to be sure that you won't rat me out to anyone else, princess," sneered the old man as he placed a medallion around the young woman's neck, "This medallion can only be removed by me. It will make sure that you will not communicate, verbally or otherwise, to anyone in order to help with your mission. I wish you luck princess, otherwise your mother and sisters will never see the light of day again."

 _Midway_

 _It is three in the morning. Who would attempt a break in at the museum at three in the morning?_ thought Shayera as she quietly got out of bed and began to put her armor and mask on. The sound of a window smashing woke her up and she was frustrated at having her dream interrupted. Whoever the thieves were, there was going to be hell to pay. Shayera quietly walked down the stairs and surveyed the main lobby. She observed the broken glass and paid attention to the way the window was smashed open. Someone had to fly into the window in order for the break to happen that high.

A slight noise from the closed Greek Exhibit caught her attention and Shayera slowly made her way in. She crouched low and hid behind several draped statues, in order to see who the intruder was. To her shock, she watched as Diana lifted several crates up and shove them to the side. She looked as though she was on a mission and Shayera came out of hiding, wanting to know if she could offer any help.

"Diana?" called out Shayera, noticing the way she stiffened and turned to Shayera in shock.  
"Shayera? What are you doing here?" asked Diana, dreading the upcoming trouble. _Why of all people did it have to be Shayera?_ thought Diana.

"I live here," said Shayera, "What are you doing here?" Diana desperately wanted to tell Shayera but she felt the medallion's enchantment and her throat seized up. Any thoughts to try and mime or write to Shayera about her predicament caused a serious headache and her mouth snapped shut. Shayera noticed the unusual behavior and asked, "Are you alright?" Diana nodded and sat down, hoping that the headache will pass.

"Diana, tell me. What's going on?" asked Shayera, finally feeling worried. Diana could hear Felix Faust though in her head, talking to her through the medallion _, If you don't stop with the chit chat, then maybe turning one of your stone sisters into dust will be more persuasive? Get the artifacts now._

Diana stood up and resumed her search, hoping to find the artifact and leave without having to harm Shayera. Shayera though did not take being ignored lightly and flew in front of Diana before she said, " HEY! You don't walk into my city and my home and think that you are entitled to do whatever the hell you want! What's wrong with you?"

 _GET RID OF HER_! demanded Faust, and Diana closed her eyes and silently prayed to the Gods and Goddesses that Shayera would forgive her. Diana grabbed Shayera's arm and threw her against the wall before slamming her on the floor, hoping that she would be knocked out. No such luck, in fact, as Shayera recovered quickly and grabbed Diana by her shoulders. She tackled Diana outside the exhibit and rammed her on the Help Booth's desk, crumbling it to pieces. Diana held Shayera by her throat and gave her an uppercut, causing spots to cloud Shayera's vision. Shayera was thrown in the air and slammed against the wall. She stood still and waited for Diana to come into range before flying at her and attempting to grab hold of her and pinning her down. Diana though had a different idea and with her lasso, she managed to trap Shayera and begin flinging her around as though she were a yo-yo.

Shayera took it in stride however and with her talon hand, she managed to free herself from Wonder Woman's lasso. Shayera was about as mystified as Diana until she remembered that Nth metal made up her arm brace and talon hand, along with her mace. The lasso must hold magical properties for Shayera to free herself from its bindings and she decided to take advantage of it. Shayera charged her mace up and flew straight towards Diana, wanting to end this quickly. Diana had similar thoughts and flew towards Shayera, praying that she doesn't have to harm Shayera too bad. Shayera only had a brief second to spot the glowing medallion and powered down her mace, finally understanding why Diana couldn't speak to her. It proved to be disastrous though as Diana gave a swift punch across the face, causing Shayera to knock out upon impact and she fell to the floor.

Diana flew down beside her fallen sister and cried. She hated this Faust man with all her might to force her to fight against her friend. She looked back towards the Greek Exhibit and looked back at Shayera. This night was turning from a mess into a nightmare.

Diana carefully dragged Shayera to a bench and set her friend down on it, hoping it will provide some comfort. She went back into the exhibit to search for the artifact. It took about an hour of searching but she managed to find it inside small crate. It was a strange looking device but with it, Diana now only had two more to find. She walked back out of the exhibit to be greeted with the sight of the rest of the League.

"Care to explain yourself?" asked Superman. Diana, recalling the hold Faust had over her, went into battle position much to the shock of the others except for J'onn. He read through Diana's memories and heard the man's voice ordering Diana to fight or it will cost her the life of her sisters. J'onn phased through the floor when he was sure that Diana was not looking at him and phased behind her. With a swift swipe, he was able to grab the medallion and force it to phase with him into the floor. Diana was shocked at how easy it was for J'onn to remove the medallion but she thanked the Gods and Goddesses for his ability.

"What was that?" asked Flash as J'onn phased back in between them.

"I was hoping you might explain." said J'onn as he looked at Diana. After a long tale, it was agreed that the others would help Diana in her quest to save her mother and sisters while Lantern took Shayera to the Watchtower's Medical Bay. Diana didn't think she would ever feel this much relief as she did now, she could only hope that Shayera would forgive her after she explained herself.

 _Later Morning_

Shayera woke up in a rage as she found herself in the Medical Bay of the Watchtower. It took every bit of willpower for the Lantern in order to hold Shayera down in a construct restraint. He had to hand it to her though, if he was beaten to a pulp in his own home he would be mad too.

"I'll kill her! She should tried to find another way to remove that stupid medallion instead of fighting me! I'll kill her! Amazonian strength be damned!" yelled Shayera. John chuckled at her statement and said, "She as in a panic. Don't tell me you wouldn't have reacted the same way?"

"I guess," confessed Shayera, "Still, the next time this happens I hope I don't have to play the defender."

The rest of the team arrived at the Watchtower where Diana immediately asked for forgiveness and Shayera had easily given it to her. She had to admit though, that if it were her family, then she wouldn't have reacted rationally either. The two sat together in the Monitor room when Diana quietly said, "I am exiled from my own home."

Shayera was surprised to hear it and asked, "Why? Surely it didn't have to do with Faust?"

"No, it had to do with bringing men on the island." said Diana.  
"That's unfair, though. Without them they'd still be stone." said Shayera.

"I know," said Diana, "My mother knows too, but we have laws to follow and everybody is punished if the law is not upheld even if I am the Queen's daughter."

Shayera sat in shock at the revelation. There was no way that this had to be fair, laws or no laws. Shayera sighed and said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," said Diana, "I may have lost my home in Themysciria, but I have a new one with all of you. You are family to me."

Shayera quietly considered her words and removed her mask, much to the shock of Diana. Diana gave her a quizzical look and Shayera said, "What? We're family right?"

Batman had walked quietly into the Monitor Room and observed at the show of trust Shayera was exhibiting to Diana. He felt a sense of pride at Shayera's step to be more open to the others, only because God knows he never will. He walked back out quietly and thought about Shayera on his way to the Javelin Hanger. His thoughts of Shayera had been increasing lately and he was beginning to have dreams of just the two of them somewhere remote. A sense of longing filled in him but he quickly stamped it down. He needed to keep it professional, otherwise the easy-going relationship he has with Shayera will sour just like his relationship with Sellina, Talia, and many others. Still, one could only dream of the things that should never happen.

 ** _Hey readers, I had a source of inspiration while writing this and I needed it to be done. So Shayera is accepting the League as her family and will show the others her face as a show of trust in later chapters. I actually had fun writing about Shayera's thoughts on Bruce during her talk with Mavis because I now know where to take this relationship :3 So hopefully you liked the chapter and tell me what you thought of it :) Thank you 3_**


	18. Injustice For All

_Injustice for All_

Shayera and Flash sat in the Monitor room, hearing the confrontation through the hidden speakers Bruce and J'onn were wearing. At the slightest mention of trouble, Flash and Shayera were to teleport J'onn away from danger while he was disguised as Superman. There was an increase of devastation in the country of Slokia where terrorists were now sporting advanced weapons that were high above their paygrade. Superman immediately suspected Luthor, recognizing several weapons, but was held back by Batman when he wanted to make a charge for LexCorp. Batman convinced Superman to make a plan and here they were now, J'onn masquerading as Superman and pretending to be affected by the Kryptonite.

"I've carried this around for years, waiting for just the right moment." said Luthor as he taunted J'onn, thinking he was Superman, "I feel almost a little… let down."

"Luthor," said J'onn in Superman's voice, "I have to know… those weapons you sold to the terrorists. How did-"

"How did I get them through customs?" asked Luthor. Shayera could practically hear the victory in his voice as he stupidly confessed, "A lift here, a bribe there. When money talks, people listen. Like Stavros at the shipping company or Schnieder the Interpol agent who looked the other way." J'onn let loose another groan to keep up the appearance that he was being weakened by the kryptonite.

"Got to hand it to him," said Flash as they listened further into the conversation, "Guy deserves an Oscar." Shayera nodded her head in agreement. for all his gloom and grim appearance J'onn was definitely putting on a show. One could almost say that he was having fun with it. Shayera heard Batman give J'onn his lines while he and Lantern waited outside the building. Shayera had to smile whenever she heard the deep baritones of Bruce's voice. She almost wanted to record his voice sometimes and show him that he often sounded like Kendra's favorite actor, Kevin Conroy, but she knew it would only irritate him.

Shayera sat back and heard Lantern say, "Alright, get ready." Flash quickly typed in the clearance to teleport J'onn and Shayera was ready to press the button that would teleport her down to Earth in case things got haywired.

"Sounds like you're going to have company in prison." said J'onn, finally letting his voice come back. Shayera wished she could see Luthor's reaction when he realizes that it wasn't Superman who he had confessed to.

"It can't be!" he exclaimed,"NO!"  
"You're usually more careful Lex. You slipped up." said Batman. Shayera knew that Batman and Lantern had entered the building as soon as they got the confession taped.

"And you're going down hard." said Lantern. Knowing that in the plan John was to secure the kryptonite, Shayera heard Batman say, "Mission accomplished."  
"Alright! Well now that we finished taking care of business, how about you and me raid the fridge? I think John brought in some Chinese takeout." said Flash. At the mention of Chinese, Shayera's stomach grumbled but she knew she had to stay in case of anything and she said, "Go see if he has any fried rice."

As the Flash sped off she heard J'onn say, "So much for your appearance as a benevolent businessman. This is the end of an era."

"The end of your era maybe," she heard Lex say and soon gunfire and energy blasts was heard on the other side. Shayera, alarmed, pressed on the comm-link and cried out,"Batman! J'onn! Lantern!"

Silence was heard on the other end and just when Shayera was getting ready to teleport to their location, she heard Lantern say, "Why do they always run?"

She breathed out a sigh of relief as she heard Batman say, "We're alright Hawkgirl, Superman is already giving chase. Teleport us up so we can give Lex a proper send off to his cell in Stryker's Island." Shayera teleported the trio and watched as they materialized on the telepad. J'onn and Lantern made their way to the kitchen as Batman sat down on the Flash's empty seat. The quietness of the Monitor Room was only interrupted when they heard Lantern cry out, "FLASH! THAT'S MY TAKEOUT!"

Shayera gave a quiet laugh of amusement when Flash entered the Monitor Room and quickly teleported himself away from the possible danger the Lantern might throw at him. The quiet returned and Shayera turned to Bruce and said, "Don't ever do that again please."

"Not a fan of the theatrics are you?" teased Batman, knowing very well that he can sometimes overdo it. To be fair though, John and J'onn could also be considered theatrical as they were there too.

"I promise you that the next time you go for a dramatic pause, I'll knock you into next Tuesday." said Shayera, threatening lightly.

"... like what I did just now?" said Batman, offering her a rare smile. Bruce never smiled whenever he was outside the manor or not performing his civil duties as Bruce Wayne. He wanted people to see him as dark and mysterious and Shayera's heart would often increase in pace whenever she was given those smiles. She snorted at his statement though to cover up her slight hesitation and teased, "You're bad."

Whatever casual moment they had was interrupted when Superman comm-linked for a teleport. As soon as he was up in the Watchtower he gave them startling news.

"So carrying around kryptonite for years gave Luthor a blood cancer?" asked Shayera. Superman and Batman were both sitting down as Shayera leaned against the wall.

"Pretty much," said Superman, "he even tried to blame me for his poisoning. Kept insisting that it was all my fault."

Shayera snorted and said, "Then it is his problem, Superman. Whatever life he could have had is gone because of his bitterness to keep his rivalry with you."

"She's right," said Batman, "there's no use feeling guilty over another man's bitterness." Shayera, Superman, and Batman quietly discussed the next steps the League had to take. Now that they had the confessions from Luthor, they were determined to put him behind bars permanently. No amount of money should be able to help him now. The atrocities he helped commit overseas made Shayera sick to the stomach to think that such a man believes he is above the law because of the amount of money he has in his pocket. Shayera was glad though for people like Bruce who use their power and influence to help people instead of exploiting them.

"As far as Luthor is concerned, even with his cancer, he'll still be behind bars." said Batman.

"Not giving him the chance to escape from a hospital? Good call." said Shayera.

"He'll need to be put in a high security cell with honest guards. It's always a problem having to deal with either a genius or a rich man in jail if they can easily bribe or charm their way out." said Batman. Shayera and Superman both felt their mouths set in a grim line. Superman could count the many times Luthor proved to be an annoying problem every time he bought his way out of prison. For Shayera, she helped Bruce handle cases involving the Joker and Penguin to know when guards have been paid off or when they were simply driven insane. Shayera again thanked the Seven Heavens that the Midway City Police Department also had back-up in the form of ARGUS agents. It made for breaking out of prison even more difficult for the criminals. Much of the ARGUS agents in Midway were new recruits sent there for beginner's training.

Shayera and Kendra, after the successful Copperhead case, were given more cases and it helped prove to doubters that they were capable detectives. Shayera yawned and bid Superman and Batman a good night before teleporting from the Watchtower to the National Park, where she spread her wings and took off. She went deep in the woods and settled in her meadow. Often at times whenever Shayera was troubled with something she would retreat to her meadow and tonight's troubled rants involve a certain Dark Knight.

The horrible feelings she felt every time she thought is was the end of Bruce made her confront her feelings for said man. He was invading her thoughts at every possible second when she wasn't on mission. She wanted to stop the feelings from getting bigger but she could never really stay away from Wayne Manor. She absolutely adores Alfred and though Tim was away in California, Shayera would still visit in the event that he shows up for a visit. She has been spending a lot of time alone with Bruce though. Not Bruce as Batman, but Bruce as Bruce Wayne. She would often leave her armor and mace behind in the Batcave and spend nights talking with Bruce while Dick and Barbara patrolled Gotham.

Bruce actually has a new addition in the Batfamily, a girl who goes by the name of Harper Row. Shayera was told by Barbara how Harper had saved Bruce's life by creating a defibrillator on the spot and reviving the fallen knight. Harper began to take on the mantle of Bluebird and helped out the Batfamily by patrolling the Narrows of Gotham. Shayera had only ever met the girl once outside of Gotham when Shayera had requested for Batman's help in Midway. Bane had attempted to distribute his steroids in Midway and the Midway City Police Department had their hands full trying to stop the angry over-powered addicts from creating mayhem in the streets. Batman had sent Harper to help and as Bluebird, she had created an electrical trap for Bane that Shayera helped lure him in by feigning injury and flying away at the last second. It was a good night all around and Harper left to report back to Batman. Shayera looked up at the night sky and decided to call it a night, Luthor's trial was in two days so Shayera had nothing planned for the League except Monitor Duty next week. Shayera flew up and away to Midway, irritated that she wished she could spend the night at Wayne Manor. After two days had passed and Luthor was convicted with treason against the United States Government and crimes against humanity, Shayera had just finished her patrol around Midway when she received a call from J'onn.

"Shayera," he said, "You are needed at Metropolis. Luthor and the Ultra-Humanite has just escaped Stryker's Prison. We need all hands to patrol the city."

"Beam me up, Scotty." said Shayera, quoting one of Emmett's favorite movies. Shayera watched as Midway disappeared below her and was replaced with the futuristic architecture that was Metropolis. Shayera looked around and decided to fly in the general direction of Bakerline. Shayera called in through her comm-link,"Who's here? I'm heading towards Bakerline."

"I'm on my way there, wait for me on Passage Street and we can coordinate a patrol." said Batman. Shayera felt her heart quicken at his voice and she berated herself. She just saw him yesterday and her traitorous heart decided that it is still too long. Shayera flew above the city, catching the updraft in order to glide faster to Bakerline. Shayera was almost enjoying the cool night air when she suddenly heard Batman call out in the comm-link, "I NEED BACK OVER HERE NOW!"

"Batman? Where?" asked Shayera, but the idiot had probably already run off into the danger by himself, "J'onn where is he?"

"He is about four miles from the west of your location." said J'onn. Shayera looked to see dark smoke rise above the buildings and she immediately flew in that direction. She flew to see a burning building and stayed up in the air. She heard one of the officers say, "That's almost everybody, Batman is still in there."

Shayera heard a shriek in the inferno and didn't think. She dove above the roof and saw Batman holding a little girl in his arms, trapped in a corner with a loose floor. It collapsed underneath him and the girl screamed as they fell. Shayera flapped her wings as hard as she could and managed to grasp onto Bruce's arm. She used the rising heat thermals to help her fly out of the blaze and she managed to pull them out safely. She landed in the street where Batman put the little girl down and she ran for her father. Shayera was gasping and looked Bruce who was as stoic as ever. She decided to break the silence by saying, "You know I'm used to being thanked when I save someone."

"I'm not used to be saved." said Bruce as he turned and walked back to his car. Shayera smiled at his typical response and followed him. Flash and Superman finally arrived and Batman asked, "Did you pick up a trail?"  
"Not even one. Those two slipped by smoke through our fingers." said Superman.  
"No biggie," said Flash, "It's just two guys. How much trouble can they be?"

As the inferno still blazed behind them, Shayera wanted to smack Wally upside the head for saying that. They decided to return to the Watchtower in order to establish a better search party and determine where Luthor might have hidden with the humanite. Flash had earlier taken care of the flames before getting teleported back to the Watchtower to rejoin the others. He looked around to see that only Batman and Hawkgirl were in the Monitor Room. Hawkgirl looked at him and asked, "How did it go?"  
"Oh you know," said Flash, getting ready to brag, "I had those flames out before the firemen could step out of their trucks."

"That's fast," said Shayera, knowing Flash's game. He has yet to give up on his bragging when it came to her and he still flirted with Diana at every opportunity. Diana had once confided in Shayera that she didn't have the heart to stop Wally, finding his childlike demeanor endearing.

"Fastest Man Alive." bragged Flash and Shayera decided to take him down a notch by saying, "Which explains why you can't get a date."

"Yeah," said Flash, only realizing too late what he just agreed to, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Shayera gave him a teasing smirk and furled her wing around him, giving him a strange hug. Flash pretended to be annoyed but Shayera could see that he liked receiving those 'special' hugs as he called it. Batman's voice cut through as he said, "Both of you, get over here."

They rushed over to where Batman was sitting down and he turned up the volume of the news alert.

" _We are standing outside the Metropolis Federal Building and police officers are handling a dangerous hostage negotiation with the Ultra-Humanite. A freak of science: the Humanite is reported to be highly intelligent and highly dangerous_."

"No biggie, right?" asked Batman as he looked at the Flash. Flash gave a sheepish smile and all three called in the rest of the League, determined to save the hostage and capture Humanite. The League met up a block away from the Federal Building and they quickly decided that Lantern could easily take the weapon away from Humanite without harming the hostage. Shayera, Superman, Diana, and Lantern flew high above the building, out of sight from Humanite while Batman and Flash remained on the ground to provide another front. Shayera watched as the Humanite aimed his weapon at the police blockade while holding an unconscious woman in his arms. It was a good tactic: show the victim to the law enforcers along with the weapon to show that you mean business and to keep the cops back.

Something was off though. If Humanite was regarded as highly intelligent, then he should have discovered a way to escape the police without needing any extra baggage. It seemed ridiculous that he would stick around at a crime scene and try to bait the police. Shayera nevertheless watched as Lantern used his ring to take the gun away from Humanite, allowing Superman to knock him back and dropping the hostage. Batman moved in to check on the hostage and Shayera decided to confide in Diana and said, "Something's off here."

Diana looked to Shayera and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've already dealt with hostage situations before and this… I don't think this is a hostage situation." said Shayera.

"Then what do you think this is?" asked Diana. With her hawk vision, Shayera saw the claws retract out of the hostage's furry hand and she said, "It's an ambush!"

Using a tactic Bruce had taught her years ago, Shayera dove down and slammed her open palm against the cat lady's neck, prohibiting her from calling out and with a punch to the face, she was rendered unconscious. Shayera turned to Bruce and saw him give a slight nod of thanks. The League went inside to see Superman fighting the Humanite and the Lantern fighting against a large zombie-like monster.

"Grundy." growled Batman and Shayera charged her mace up and slammed it against Grundy's side. Grundy flew in the air and hit one of the support pillars, the stones toppling down on top of him. Shayera heard more fighting around her and she snarled when she recognized Copperhead. She was about to fly towards him but Flash gave him an easy knockout leaving Shayera to handle a villainess named Star Sapphire. Shayera had read news reports about her from Detroit. It seems like she holds a grudge against Green Lanterns. Shayera easily deflected her optic blasts with her armor and mace. Just when she thought though that she can easily knock out Sapphire when she exposed herself again, a shadow enveloped all around her. Shayera's air was cut off and she was being suppressed on all sides.

One minute Shayera was in the air and the next, she was on the ground as light entered her vision and she could breath again. Shayera looked around to see Batman knocking a black and white clad man to the wall, holding a walking stick in his hand as the black and white man fell to the floor with a groan. Shayera charged her mace up and began to attack the enraged Grundy. She dodged his messy punches with ease and with a straight hit to the face, Shayera managed to blind the zombie. Shayera turned to see Diana taking care of Star Sapphire and Flash was currently taunting the Humanite. Superman was dealing with a blind Grundy and Shayera looked up to see that Batman was fighting Luthor. So the coward hired killers to do his dirty work, no surprise.

Shayera flew towards Batman's direction, intent on helping him, when she spotted Copperhead slithering down the stairs. Shayera immediately changed her flight path and put herself between Batman and the striking snake. She lifted her arm brace like she did months ago in Midway and Copperhead had his mouth full of metal. Shayera felt the poison fly off her arm brace and with her mace, she knocked Copperhead upside his head. Copperhead flew against the wall and he remained on the floor. Batman struggled against Luthor, who was proving to be a formidable opponent in hand to hand combat. Just when Batman was getting the upperhand, Star Sapphire missed her shot in her attempt to take down Wonder Woman and the blast hit the ground balcony where Batman and Luthor had been fighting. Shayera quickly grabbed Batman's hand and pulled him away from the collapsing debris as Luthor was saved by Humanite.

Shayera set Bruce down on the ground and the pair prepared to chase after Luthor when darkness enveloped around them. Shayera, feeling her claustrophobia coming in, took her mace and charged it up. The small light provided by her mace at least helped her a little claustrophobia a little, but she still felt the anxiety and the panic within her. She felt a hand hold her own hands in a comforting hold. She looked at Bruce and even if he wore the cowl, his comforting hands told her that he will help her through her own fear. A green light lit up through the darkness and Bruce and Shayera moved towards it. The shadows were gone and they were back in the brightly lit Federal Building.

"They've escaped." said Superman, annoyed that Luthor had managed to slip by again.

"Hey, at least we managed to capture one." said Flash, pointing outside. They looked out to see the cat lady in handcuffs with multiple firearms pointed at her.

"Have her ready for interrogation," ordered Batman, "We're going to need to change our game plan if Luthor has hired help."

The League retreated up to the Watchtower where they relaxed for a bit before they had to continue their hunt for Luthor and now five other criminals. Shayera retreated to the training room, where she began to box against the sandbag. She was feeling a little frustrated with herself. She shouldn't be so claustrophobic after all these years. Shayera began to beat against the bag with more ferocity as she recalled the moment of weakness she had back at the Metropolis Federal Building. Shayera was so busy berating herself that she didn't hear the training room door open and the steps walking behind her. It was when a hand that grabbed her shoulder did she startle back to reality and flipped the owner of the hand over her shoulder.

It was when she saw Bruce on the floor did Shayera sheepishly offered an apology. Bruce brushed her apologies aside and asked, "You seemed to be very distracted. Care to talk about it?"

Shayera sighed and confessed,"I shouldn't be so afraid anymore of it."

"To beat fear you have to go through it, not around it." said Bruce.

"How do I do that then?" asked Shayera, watching as Bruce went to the simulator. Bruce looked at her and asked, "Do you trust me?"  
"With my life." said Shayera, no hesitation in her response. Bruce nodded and said, "Then get ready."

One minute Shayera was standing in an open room, the next she was in a cave and the walls were caving in. Shayera immediately felt panic and called out, her voice cracking, "Bruce?"

"I want you to go down the cave, Shayera. Face it." encouraged Bruce. Shayera took a tentative step forward and the walls moved in a little closer. Shayera took a step back and tried to calm her racing heart. Just the thought of the walls moving in on her was enough to put her through a hysteria. She heard Bruce call out to her though, "Keep going Shayera. You have to face it. You can't allow it to overcome you."

Shayera took several deep breaths and closed her eyes. She walked forward and heard the walls closing in on her. Shayera bit her lower lip, trying to think of anything else other than the walls. She kept walking forward and it was only until she felt herself getting into a tight squeeze did she try to back out. She felt a wall behind her and Shayera opened her eyes to find herself in a tight box. Shayera began to hyperventilate and attempted to lift her arms in order to hit her way out. The walls were strong though, keeping her in place as they continued to collapse in. Shayera attempted to control her breathing but as the ceiling began to go down Shayera screamed, "STOP!"

She was suddenly free from her confinement and she gasped as she glanced around to see Bruce standing behind her. He just stared at her and Shayera glared at him.

"What the hell?" she demanded.  
"I was testing your limits," explained Bruce as he helped her stand, "Now that I know it will be easier to determine how to best help you."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" asked Shayera, annoyed at his logic.  
"If I had told you, then you would have tried to mask your fear. It was necessary for me to see where your limits lay." explained Bruce. Shayera only sighed and said, "I really should have seen that coming."

"Your fear overruled all of your logic and common sense," reasoned Bruce.

"Can you really help me get rid of my fear?" asked Shayera.

"No one can really get rid of their fears, Shayera," said Bruce, "One can only overcome them and not allow it to consume you."  
"Ok," said Shayera, "Are you going to go interrogate the Cheetah woman then?"  
"No, I left that up to Superman and Flash. I'm going to follow a lead and I'll contact you all later." said Batman, leaving the training room.  
"Do you need backup?" asked Shayera.

"Not right now," said Bruce, "If I run into any danger though I'll be sure to call you in." With a pat on her shoulder, he left the training room. Shayera smiled gently as the door closed and returned to practicing her boxing. The minutes would tick by into hours and Shayera stopped her training and glanced at the clock. It has been over four hours since Bruce had left to follow his lead. Shayera decided to quickly shower and check in with Bruce later. One of the downsides to having wings is the smell of sweat clinging to her feathers.

Shayera emerged fresh and walked to the Monitor Room where she sat down on the chair and opened up the feed to Bruce's comm-link.  
"Batman, come in… Batman do you read me?" said Shayera. Silence was heard on the other side. Shayera tried again after five minutes and tried again and again until she called in the rest of the League.

"What's going on Hawkgirl?" asked Flash.

"Batman isn't responding to his comm-link." said Shayera, "I've tried almost ten times already and he won't answer."  
"Maybe the guy is just being his old Bat-self." said Flash.

"No," insisted Shayera, "even if he is busy, he would have said so. J'onn can you find him." J'onn's eyes glowed orange in his attempt to find Batman, when he couldn't find the man's familiar brain signature he said, "I can't locate him."

Everybody was stunned that J'onn couldn't find Batman. Shayera held in her worry and asked, "Does anyone know where he went for his lead."

No one knew and Shayera was grateful that her mask was able to hide her emotions from everybody else. Shayera and J'onn immediately began to type into the computers, attempting to find Batman's tracker. Superman, Flash, Lantern, and Diana were teleported back on Earth in order to search the cities. Shayera had already contacted Barbara and explained to her the situation, making sure that the other heroes stayed away from Gotham. Batman may be missing, but he will not be happy if things got out of control in Gotham.

Shayera and J'onn spent many hours in the night trying to jumpstart Batman's tracker. Whatever or whoever had turned it off probably didn't know about the backup power the tracker can hold. Shayera had made a quick trip to Midway to retrieve her Absorbascon. She had made J'onn promise to keep the existence of the Absorbascon a secret. In the beginning, Shayera had asked Batman whether they could incorporate the Absorbascon into the monitoring system of the Watchtower, but he immediately told her that she needed to keep it a secret. Shayera had no idea why but she decided to heed Batman's request at the time, but for now she needed to use it to find a certain bat and possibly some certain villains.

Just as she was about to put the helmet on though, J'onn said, "Someone is here."

"Lantern?" asked Shayera, knowing that the Javelin is still in the hangar.

"No," said J'onn, phasing down into the hangar. Shayera hid the Absorbascon in a cabinet and quickly followed J'onn to the hangar. As she neared the hangar, she heard the familiar voice of the zombie, Grundy. Shayera quickly gripped her mace looked over the doorway to see Star Sapphire, the black and white clad man Batman said was named Shade, and Grundy. Shayera almost made herself known when she heard Sapphire order Grundy, "Put it over next to those boxes. The fools will be too busy trying to help the martian for an extra box."

Grundy placed a briefcase next to the spare-parts boxes and the trio was then surrounded by Star Sapphire's energy and they left. Shayera went into the hangar the minute she knew they were gone and called out, "J'onn?"

She heard a groan and looked around to find J'onn knocked against some of the storage boxes. She quickly made her way towards him and examined him. While not seriously injured, he still needed to be put in one of the healing pods in the Medical Bay. Shayera glanced at the briefcase and decided to take care of J'onn first. She carried J'onn to the Medical Wing, using her wings as an extra pair of hands, and kept him comfortable in the pods while she investigated the briefcase. Shayera couldn't see a latch or a way to open the briefcase. Shayera took a deep breath to clear her head of her frustrations when she heard beeping. Shayera looked around the room to find the source when she noticed that the beeping was coming from the briefcase. She pressed her ear closer to it and heard the beeping coming from inside. Shayera's eyes widen when she realized that it was a bomb. She quickly called in the others and said, "Everybody, there's been a breach in the Watchtower. I'm going to take the bomb with me in the Javelin."

"Wait, what?" said Flash, but Shayera didn't have time to respond. She closed the link off and proceeded to get the plan in motion. The beeping was increasing, meaning that she had less than minute probably to get rid of the bomb. Shayera grabbed the briefcase and used her key to open the hangar. She piloted the Javelin and using the autopilot, gave herself time to quickly exit the Javelin as it jetted into space. Shayera had punched a hole through the ground to fight against the vacuum of space and watched as the Javelin flew away. She closed the hangar and quickly flew to one of the upper windows to see the Javelin exploding. Shayera took a deep breath and opened her communication back on to hear multiple voices.

"Hawkgirl? Answer me." Superman.

"Please answer! Where's J'onn?" Diana.

"Damnit Hawkgirl! Open the line!" Lantern.

"Hawkgirl! Come on! You promised to see the movie with me and GL!" Flash.

"I'm here. I'm here," reassured Shayera, "I got rid of the bomb. J'onn was knocked unconscious by Luthor's hired guns."  
"How did they get into the Watchtower?" asked Lantern, "They need a key to open the shields."

"My best guess," said Shayera, "is that they have Batman."

"Hawkgirl, get us back up in the Watchtower. We're going to need to think of a better plan if Luthor is behind this." said Superman. Shayera quickly flew up to the Monitor Room and used the teleporter to beam everybody back up. Once everybody assembled, they met together in the Medical Bay, keeping J'onn company as he recovered.

"We need to find Luthor and fast," said Lantern, "So long as we are exposed to this then it's not safe up here."

"Don't worry," said Shayera, "I disconnected Batman's keypass from the Watchtower's signal, the next time they try to use it the Watchtower will go on lockdown."

"Where do we start looking for Batman though?" asked Flash.  
"It would have to be somewhere Luthor is familiar with. Metropolis is the obvious place to look for him." said Superman.

"Where though? HOw many abandoned buildings are in Metropolis?" asked Shayera, "It's really obvious that Luthor will not be able to use any of his own buildings as he's a wanted criminal now."

About an hour passed by with Superman trying to list off all the buildings that are either being constructed or abandoned in Metropolis. For a city meant to represent the future, there were many building complexes that were left abandoned. Shayera was having a difficult time trying to 'keep her cool' as Flash would put it. Thoughts of what Luthor might have put Bruce under ran in her mind. If anything, Shayera could feel her impatience rise within. She almost very nearly left the Watchtower and begin her search for Bruce.

J'onn suddenly snapped forward and said, "I know where he is!"

Shayera's heart fluttered in anxiety and it took all her restraint to not seem over eager to get them going. For J'onn's health, he was chosen to stay behind in the Watchtower in order to man the teleporter and provide as backup just in case. Everyone else was teleported outside across the abandoned Metropolis Toy Emporium. Superman used his X-Ray vision to spot Luthor and his Injustice gang along with a surprise addition.

"The Joker is with them." he said. Shayera almost balked at that new information. She surprised herself when she suddenly began to pray to Omar in her head to keep Bruce safe and away from that maniacal clown.

"Where's Batman?" asked Flash, and Shayera was happy that he was the one who asked. She wasn't sure she could keep her voice steady if she had asked.

"He's down below in the basement, the Ultra Humanite is guarding him." said Superman.

"Alright, let's go." said Flash, about to run in when Shayera quickly grabbed onto his costume and said, "Wait! If the Joker is in on this, there might be traps, sensors, anything!"

"You fought him before?" asked Lantern.  
"Fought? Been captured? Almost been given his Laugh Toxin? I'm not in the same experience level as Batman when it comes to that homicidal maniac, but I know enough that I should never underestimate him." said Shayera, "Don't just run in there."  
"Hawkgirl is right," said Superman as he continued to X-ray the building, "I've already spotted several mines and traps he's set up in case we happen to come in through the doors or windows. The roof is already rigged to explode by the sensors."

"Then how do we get in? The walls?" asked Flash.  
"Or the ground below." said Diana.

Batman easily felt the latch that can free him, but after contacting J'onn on his location he was able to free himself. Just when he was about to wonder when the others will show up, the ground beneath him trembled. He was almost shocked to see a red tornado form briefly in front of him as the ground was broken open, but as he watched the League come in and Shayera, he knew that they had probably seen Joker upstairs. Superman quickly dispatched Humanite, knocking him unconscious as Diana freed Batman from his restraints.

"Hey Bats, how's your evening been?" asked Flash. Batman ignored Flash and looked at Superman for answers. After briefing Batman in on the whole deal, the League quickly made their way upstairs where they were met head on with the Injustice Gang. Shayera quickly went for Shade, knowing with his skills to turn the League blind he had to be taken care of first. With flight like an owl, she was able to silently fly up behind him and take his staff away and hitting him on the head with it before breaking it into two. Shayera glanced around to see others faring well in their respective fights. She looked around to spot Luthor sporting a new high tech suit. She watched in horror as his blasts were enough to hurt Superman. Shayera quickly whirled her mace over her head and flung it at Luthor, fully charged. Lex cried out in pain as the electricity overrode his suit's drive and the electricity was enough to shock him into unconsciousness.

Shayera almost didn't see the blade that was coming for her head until the light glinted off the metal. Shayera flexed her wings apart with enough force to startle her assailant back. She turned to see Joker get pushed back into Batman who knocked him out instantly. It was quiet in the building as all the villains were knocked out. Shayera, Superman, and Diana quickly removed or disarmed all of the Joker's traps so the police can enter the building safely. Shayera never once took her eyes off of Bruce. She was secretly examining him for any injuries he could be concealing. Shayera knew Bruce was always the silent sufferer but if she had anything to say about it he would be sent straight back to the manor.

As everything was taken care of, everybody flew back to their respective homes or jobs, with Diana and Lantern taking over Monitor duty in the early morning. Shayera and Batman were soon the only ones left in the building. Shayera turned to Bruce and said, "What a night."

"You're spending too much time with Flash." said Bruce. Shayera laughed quietly at his words and said, "Why Batman, maybe you don't spend enough time with us."

Batman gave a small scoff and another smile for Shayera. Shayera grinned at him and said, "So, did they treat you ok or did they manage to institutionalized you beyond repair?"

Again, Bruce gave her a smile and said, "If I was, you wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Please," scoffed Shayera, "As if I'd let you get the drop on me. I'd see you coming from a mile away."  
"Is that a challenge, Miss Hol?" teased Bruce. Shayera would later deny that she had blushed and ran away, but she would never deny the feelings she had felt that night. She looked at the teasing smile of Bruce and said, "Maybe it is, what are you going to do about it?"

She quickly leaned in, hugged him, and kissed him on his cheek: right near the corner of his mouth.

Bruce blushed as his surprise overrode all of his senses. Shayera had given him a cheeky smile before launching herself in the air and said, "Good night Bruce."

Bruce stood there with a hand on his cheek watching as Shayera flew away. A smile spread on his face before calling on the Batmobile and driving away back to Gotham. Not aware that a maniacal clown who recently escaped the Metropolis Police Department stood witness to the exchange.

 **Hey readers :) Hope you like the chapter :) Until next time, please leave reviews if you like**


	19. The Grey Ghost

_The Grey Ghost_

Fighting against villains such as Lion Mane, Cheetah, Solomon, and basically just about every normal sized villain could be dealt with one on one and didn't necessarily require the whole league. Fighting against a gigantic teal and purple robotic monstrosity required more than one fighter. The giant robot was spotted by a pair of hikers in the Midway National Park. It had crash landed near the picnic area and the hikers immediately called the park rangers. Once it began to make its way to Midway City however, they called the Midway City Police Department who in turn called in Hawkgirl who called in the Justice League once she saw the size of the robot.

Superman was the first to arrive and just in time as well. The Midway City Police Department had managed to clear the downtown area of citizens and created a barrier to keep it in downtown while the Justice League tried to handle it. Shayera knew ARGUS agents were stationed at strategic spots in the vicinity and had been informed by Emmett that they were currently piecing together a powerful but experimental EMP. If it worked, then they can easily stop the robot and keep its circuitry intact in order to determine where it came from and who sent it. The Justice League just needed to distract the robot long enough for the EMP to be functional and ready to disable the robot .

Superman and Shayera managed to at least capture its attention by flying around its head. Batman, Diana, J'onn, Flash, and Lantern arrived ten minutes later and after getting briefed by Commissioner Emmett about ARGUS's plan to use the EMP, they began to help in distracting the robot with Superman and Hawkgirl.

It proved to be a very tedious affair since the robot seemed intent on going further into the city. Shayera had to risk getting in a very vulnerable area in the air in order to get the robot's attention. Diana and Flash were quickly trying to disassemble the robot's bolts on its heel in order to render it immobile. Lantern was providing cover for Superman as they both tried to discover a weakness on the robot. It held the same elemental properties of lead which made Superman's x-ray useless.

Batman was helping the ARGUS agents quickly assemble the EMP while J'onn relayed instructions to other agents telepathically if they didn't know what to do.

Shayera charged her mace and swung it at the robot's eye, attempting to blind it by smashing it's eyepiece to pieces. It turned its head last minute and Shayera hit its side of the head. The robot raised its hand and shot a laser beam at her. Shayera only had just enough time to barrel dodge it, feeling the heat singe the tips of her feathers. Shayera grumbled a small curse under her breathe: burned feathers meant early molting for her physiology.

Shayera twisted in the air, using her natural contortionism to weave around the laser beam with a charged mace in hand.

With a warcry, Shayera managed to damage one of its eyes. The robot swung around savagely, attempting to hit her but only managing to hit the buildings. Shayera flew around its head in another attempt to smash it's other eye piece when Lantern called out, "Hawkgirl! They're ready to fire the EMP!"

Shayera turned away from the robot intending to follow Lantern and realized her mistake too late. By turning her back to it, she exposed herself to be caught by one of its wild swings. Shayera cried out in pain as she slammed on the top a car, the force of her impact causing the car to almost sandwich her between its folding metal. Shayera groaned but blacked out from the immense pain that was coursing through her.

Batman had heard Lantern cry out to Shayera and turned to see her attempt to fly away. He was too late to warn her about the incoming swing the robot was making.

He rushed in with his grappling gun, ignoring J'onn's shout, and made his way to where Shayera landed. The rope snapped in the strain that was being exerted into, Batman being less careful with his form, landed beside Shayera with a roll and carried her bridal style out of the wrecked car but he wasn't fast enough to run out of the robot's collapsing form. Everybody else in the League was busy helping the ARGUS agents escape, except for Flash who noticed that Batman and Hawkgirl was in danger.

Knowing that he didn't have the upper body strength to carry both Batman and Hawkgirl, Flash sped in a circle around them to form a tornado. Flash hopes that the tornado will keep the robot from falling down on top of them. As he kept the tornado going, the robot began to discharge electricity. Flash was running too fast to be hit by the lightning, but he could feel the lightning began to surge all around his makeshift tornado. Just when he thought that he wouldn't be able to hold up the tornado, a surge of light filled the air. One minute Flash was running in circles to keep Batman and Hawkgirl from getting squashed and the next they were no longer in the street. In fact, the three heroes were sucked into a light and they disappeared. Lantern, Superman, Diana, and J'onn had tried to help their friends when the light surged. One minute the Flash's tornado was there and the next a dismantled robot was strewn about the downtown area, but the three heroes were missing.

"Where did they go?" asked Superman.

"I cannot feel them." said J'onn, his eyes glowing orange in his psychic search for Flash or Batman. He knew that trying to find Hawkgirl telepathically would be impossible but she would be with the other two.

"What do you mean?" asked Lantern.

"It's as though they have simply disappeared." said J'onn.

Flash and Batman groaned as they slowly woke up from their unconscious state. Batman though snapped awake and turned his body around in his search for Shayera, she had been in his arms but their exposure to the light made him lose his hold on her. He saw her laying on the ground five feet away and quickly made his way to her. She was breathing at least but she was still unconscious. He needed to take her to the Watchtower's Medical bay in order to properly examine her and diagnose her but they were… in a swamp?

He carried her again, keeping her wings carefully folded as he walked back to Flash. Flash though was zipping back in forth in different directions and stopped to meet Batman.  
"Anything?" asked Batman.

"There's a city a good mile out west, but it's not Midway." informed Flash. Batman only sighed and proceeded to walk in the that direction, Flash leading the way. Shayera was unnaturally still in her unconscious state and it worried Bruce that perhaps she might be more injured than her outer appearance is leading on. When they arrived at the outskirts of the city, Bruce felt his eyes widen. They seemed to have been blasted into the past. The cars were old models of the 1930s and the people were dressed in the similar manners of the pre-World War 2 era. Batman, Flash, and the unconscious Hawkgirl were currently on top of a building just looking down at the people living out their routine.  
"Did we just time travel?" asked Flash. Batman looked around the city with his mini-binoculars and spotted a newspaper in a trash bin. He turned to Flash and said, "Go get the newspaper. We might be able to find out where we are."

The Flash sped away and returned with newspaper in hand. The two heroes looked at the date and were surprised to read that they were still in the present. The name of the city though was news to them: Morrow City.

"I've never heard of this city before. It's nowhere near Midway or Central City." said Flash. Batman took out his minicomputer from his belt. He typed in the city and came up with nothing. Morrow City was nonexistent in the world except… it can't be. Bruce looked over the buildings and the entire layout.

"What's up Batman?" asked Flash, noticing the change of character in the dark hero.  
"We're in the world of the Grey Ghost." said Batman.

"Who?" asked Flash. His answer was an explosion rocking from the other side of the city.

"Go Flash!" ordered Batman. Somebody had to stay with Shayera after all and check her progress. Flash sped away, leaving Batman to turn his attention to Shayera. She was hit very hard by the robot and had been almost crushed by a car. Shayera had armor, sure, but even her armor can't protect her from impact damages and if they had been transported to another world, then he needed to check on her vitals stat.

Gently removing her helmet, Bruce opened one of Shayera's eyes and checked her pupils while he held her wrist in one hand to check her pulse rate. Everything was turning up normal and he gently cupped her cheek. His emotions were running haywired and he needed to stay focused in order to help Shayera heal and find a way home. He looked around and saw that the smoke from the explosion had disappeared, signalling that Flash had quickly quelled the flames. Bruce was about to carry Shayera when a light cough from behind him made him spin around with a batarang in hand. He was met with a woman wearing a green dress and dark green leggings. She wore a fashionable model of combat boots and her long blonde hair obscured most of her face in an oriental fashion. She wore a green panama hat. A viel helped obscure her face even more but for Bruce Wayne, who grew up watching episodes of the Grey Ghost as a child, knew who this mystery woman is.  
"Care to explain what you sir are doing with an unconscious woman in the dark?" asked the woman. Bruce balked at her accusation and said, "We ran into trouble and she was hurt. I've been checking on her vitals."

"And you don't care to bring her to a hospital?" asked the woman.

"I don't know how they will react to her." confessed Bruce. The woman glanced at Shayera and just noticed the large wings protruding from her back. She turned back to Bruce and asked, "They're real?"

"Yes," said Bruce, "We're not from this world."

"I'll say." said the woman. She walked up to Bruce and offered him her hand and said, "I go by the name of Lady Luck."

Oh, Bruce knew who she is. Lady Luck, or Brenda Banks, was the love interest of the Grey Ghost in the television series. It seemed almost surreal that he was meeting his childhood heroes but he was ecstatic nonetheless. Who gets to have the opportunity to say that he has met the real Lady Luck and not the actress who portrayed her in television?

"I need to get her proper medical treatment." said Bruce and Lady Luck said, "Don't worry honey, we'll get her the right treatment."

Lady Luck led Bruce as he carried Shayera across the building roofs and into an alley where a parked Dodge was hidden. She gestured to Bruce to place Shayera in the backseat of the car while he made sure he still had her mask clipped to his belt. He quickly comm-linked Flash to tell him of their new destination.  
"Hey Bats? Uh… there's someone here that wants to meet you." said Flash.

"Come meet me by the alleyway near Juniper Street and Hathaway Avenue." instructed Batman. He turned to Lady Luck and said, "I have a colleague on his way to meet us."

"Alright," said Lady Luck, "I also have one on his way here too."

Batman wondered if it was perhaps-

"Hey Bats! Meet my new friend!" said Flash from behind him. Batman turned and was instantly floored to see his childhood Grey Ghost in the living flesh. It was one thing to meet Simon Trent in his world. This was the real Grey Ghost!

"He calls himself Grey Ghost! Cool huh?" said Flash as he sped next Batman. The Grey Ghost was still every bit the hero that he was in the television show. His grey trenchcoat and hat seemed to help the hero camouflage in the buildings while his goggles shone even in the darkness. His utility belt still carried many of the gadgets that the Grey Ghost was famous for. Batman felt nervous meeting his hero for the first time but Flash's zip movements managed to break him from his distraction.

"My friend needs your help." said Batman as he gestured to the still unconscious Shayera in the backseat of Lady Luck's car. Grey Ghost moved to examine her while Flash took a peek inside the car.

"Hey! Where's her mask?" asked Flash. He had never seen her without her mask and was shocked to see the pretty face from underneath.

"Right here." said Batman, pointing to the mask attached to his belt.

"You know, I never ask but does Hawkgirl have a secret identity?" asked Flash, feeling guilty at seeing her identity without her permission.  
"She doesn't have one," explained Batman, "The people of Midway City already know her name."

"Really? How come I don't know?" complained Flash.

"You never read the news." said Batman. Flash gave a sheepish grin at that.

"So you folks aren't from around here I presume?" asked Grey Ghost as he finished diagnosing Shayera.

"No, it's a bit of a long story." said Batman.

"Honey, at this rate we have all the time." said Lady Luck. The group of heroes made their way to the Grey Ghost's Sanctuary where Shayera was properly hooked up to the proper equipment. She suffered from a cracked skull but with her Thanagarian Physiology, she'll be healed within another hour. Flash meanwhile was going through a giddiness after learning that not only had they entered into another universe, but that said universe mirrored a television show back on their universe.  
"How does that work?" asked Flash.

"I have a theory," said Grey Ghost. He moved to the chalkboard and drew three different circles in a trinity form. He formed a line between the circles, separating them and then drew a curved line that connected them. He pointed at the three circles and said, "We can call the circles Earth 1, Earth 2, and Earth 3. The straight lines is what keeps our universes separated. This curved line however is what connects us and keeps the universes in a balance. I believe that one individual from your universe had managed to connect with the curved line and has been given a glimpse of our universe without having to leave."

"It's a sound theory," said Batman, seeing the logic, "Then the next question would be is how to open up the portal so we can return home."

"Any ideas?" asked Flash.

"Recreate the instability." said Shayera's voice from behind them. They turned to see in surprise that she was sitting up and stretching her muscles.

"Amazing," whispered Lady Luck. Most patients with a cracked skull required more bedrest and sometimes a bit of therapy but this armored woman was walking up to them as though she merely bumped her head on a soft pillow.

"What? You mean build another giant robot and have it fall on us?" asked Flash. Shayera was beaten by Bruce who smacked Flash upside the back of his head. Flash pouted but listened as Shayera said, "No, I mean get the same level of discharge as you recreate another tornado."

"Where do we get that level of discharge though? We'd have to get lucky if we need the same level." said Flash.  
"Don't worry, honey," said Lady Luck with a smirk, "Leave that to me."

The group of heroes made their way to the electric company headquarters. As Grey Ghost and Batman began to charge up a volt, Flash fretted around. Shayera would have been amused any other day but she knew that if Flash mess up, then they could potentially be fried by the electricity.

"You will do fine Flash," reassured Shayera and gently patted his back. He gave her a small smile and said,"You know Hawkgirl, you should fight crime without mask. You look a lot prettier without it."

Shayera snorted and said, "Shayera, Flash. My name is Shayera. I wear the mask because it is a tradition in my world. It has nothing to do with secret identity or how I look."

"We're ready." said Batman. Getting into positions, Shayera and Bruce stood in the middle of the room and Flash began to run around to form the tornado again. Grey Ghost turned the machine on and it began to discharge the electricity. Lady Luck stood behind Grey Ghost and focused her mind on the outcome. The Batman fellow said that there was a 78% chance that it could potentially work. Well, now there was a 99% chance. Focusing her mind to keep the outcome in her favor, the light surged around the foriegn heroes until it flashed and they were sent back home.  
"You know," said Grey Ghost, "I do wonder what other world would be like. I daresay, there might be an infinite number of universes out there: a multiverse."

Lady Luck snorted and said, "Multiverse? This is why you won't get a say in the name of our children."

"What wrong with Eugene?" asked Grey Ghost. Lady Luck smiled and said, "Nothing." She kissed him lightly on the mouth and the duo left the company.

Superman and the other members of the League were about to head back to the Watchtower in order to find their missing teammates when the light surged back. Batman, Hawkgirl, and Flash fell onto the floor and they were quickly surrounded by concerned friends. A trip to the Watchtower Medical Bay was all they needed to confirm that they were alright.

"You should have seen it!" said Flash, "We were in another Universe and they fought crime like Batman! Well, except for the lady. She was pretty confident that we would get back home."  
"Lady Luck has the power to manipulate probability." explained Batman.  
"Really? Cool!"

Shayera smiled at his childish antics when Diana asked, "Shayera where's your mask?"

Shayera shrugged and said, "I'm with you guys, I'm good."

"Really?" asked Flash.

"You're family, no?" asked Shayera. She didn't expect the tackle from Flash and they fell to the floor,

"Yeah, we're family." confirmed Flash. The whole team enjoyed the company of one another while in another universe, Grey Ghost took out a copy of his old comics from his youth and began to reread the adventures of Batman and the Justice League.

 _ **Hey readers, sorry for the short chapter. I really wanted this out of my head though so I can continue with the War World chapter. In the next chapter, Shayera has a chance to contact her homeworld. Anyways, please leave reviews and tell me if you liked this chapter or not. Thanks again for reading :)**_


	20. War World

_War World_

Shayera was frustrated. She was itchy and sore. Her wings had begun to molt again this year because of her fight against the robotic monster of Luthor. After ARGUS tracked down the codes, they managed to find Luthor in a stolen yacht five miles out of the Midway Harbor in his own makeshift control room. He was quickly placed into custody and was sent back to Stryker's Prison. Shayera shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her wings often twitched involuntarily in itchiness and it took a tremendous amount of willpower in Shayera's part not to scratch the living daylights out of her wings. Ever since she first experienced her molting, her mother always said that it was unhealthy if she ever tried to force her feathers off her wings. Shayera groaned and allowed a frustrated growl escape her throat.

Emmett had already given her time off from the Midway city Police Department regarding her molting due to an incident three years ago when she was helping fight back armed thugs at the bank. Her loose feathers were what actually saved the day as they provided a good distraction to the goons, but Shayera was the topic of every joke ever made regarding feathers and what the humans so eloquently call, "That time of the month". Shayera was thankful that her molting wasn't a monthly issue and instead a yearly burden. Nonetheless, Emmett had told Shayera that during her molting sessions she was relieved of her duties in the police department until her molting stopped. Shayera often took advantage of her forced absence by spending time in the National Park, where she can freely flap her wings around without having to worry about breaking things. She had no such luck this year though as it was her turn for Monitor Duty. Diana and Flash were both abroad in missions while Bruce had several meetings to attend to as Bruce Wayne. It was Lantern's day off from the League and J'onn and Superman were supposed to show up two hours ago but they have yet to show up and Shayera remained in her seat, trying to ignore her situation and opted to try and think about other things.

Her trip to the alternate universe of the Grey Ghost was a fond enough memory to look back on. She often wondered that if there were alternate Earths, then perhaps there were alternate Thanagars too. Perhaps another Shayera of another universe lived a different life. Maybe in one universe she actually joined with her childhood friends in the military. These thoughts though were bringing back her homesickness with a fury. She sometimes felt guilty on some days when she would think of her family and not feel the pain as intense as it was five years ago. Shayera tried to distract herself from such thoughts, but her mind immediately went to her wings when they began to itch again, much to her displeasure.

Deep in in her own misery, she didn't notice J'onn and Superman enter until J'onn laid a hand on her shoulder. Shayera jumped in surprise and turned to see J'onn behind her as Superman headed to one of the computers on the other side of the room. She let loose a breath and said, "Omar almighty, J'onn. You're lucky I turned around."

"I imagine the outcome would have been terrible?" asked J'onn.

"You tell me, I had about three different scenarios running in my head." said Shayera.

"I cannot read your mind." confessed J'onn. Shayera turned in surprise and said, "Really? You always knew what was on my mind though."

"You and I are both aliens in this planet, Shayera," said J'onn, "We both lost homes and a family, it wasn't hard to understand what you're thinking about because I too often have these thoughts."

Shayera smiled at J'onn's words and said, "Thanks J'onn."

"Shayera, J'onn! We have an asteroid alert from NASA." said Superman, capturing the other two's attention.

"How far is it? Do we have time to intercept it?" asked Shayera.

"It's far enough that we can intercept it." said Superman. Not far was right, they had less than eighteen hours to divert the asteroid's path to Earth.

"Two of us needs to go to the asteroid and another needs to run the helm here and run surveillance." said Superman. Shayera was about to volunteer at staying behind when another itch passed through her.

"Omar!" she cursed, surprising the other two, "I'm going. None of you two can stop me, I need a distraction. Let's go!"

Superman and J'onn gave each other amused looks as Superman followed Shayera to the Javelin, while J'onn sat down on the Monitor Chair. He stood up in surprise and smiled in mirth when he saw a jumble of feathers strewn about in the chair.

Shayera and Superman flew out of the Watchtower in the Javelin and proceeded to make their way towards the incoming asteroid. Shayera piloted the Javelin while Superman checked their storage to make sure that they had the proper equipment that was needed to destroy the asteroid. They needed a gas monitor, a drill, and one set of charges in order to properly blow the asteroid apart. Depending on the type of gasses that the asteroid might carry, they carried one set just in case.

The flight was relatively short as the Javelin's engines helped speed up the process. Shayera knew that it had to do with the shared knowledge of Thanagarian Space mechanics that she shared with Bruce. Much of the advanced technology that was in the Watchtower and even in the Javelins were because of the shared knowledge. Shayera had quietly patted herself on the back in her hand in helping the humans evolve quickly regarding space travel. Her knowledge might be basic regarding Thanagarian standards, but she was glad to know that she would be considered a genius on Earth.

As they approached the asteroid, Shayera and Superman got into their spacesuits to get ready for landing. Each Javelin carried its own set of space suits regarding each member of the Justice League. Shayera's spacesuit came with a cover for her wings, for which she was grateful as the smooth material helped ease away the itch and the soreness in her wings.

As they approached the asteroid, Shayera was amazed at the size it was. She estimated it to be around 120 meters, a deadly size for the planet. Shayera could see that it can potentially create an atomic fallout on Earth, but that was just a guess. They first needed to determine the type of gasses that the asteroid held in order to properly destroy it though. The wrong level of charges and they could potentially create an atomic blast in space. Shayera and Superman put the Javelin in neutral and allowed it to float in peace a good distance away from the asteroid. Shayera carried the gas monitor while Superman carried the set of charges and the drill.

They both floated to the asteroid and landed on its rough surface. Shayera was careful not walk by the sharpened edges of the surface and followed Superman to a smooth part of the asteroid. Shayera waited patiently as Superman used the drill to carefully open up the asteroid and when he was done, he removed the drill and allowed Shayera to place the gas monitor in the hole. She turned the detector on and began to list off the gasses in the asteroid, "12% Hexane, 1% Isophorone, .09% neopotine... can you imagine the type of damage this asteroid could bring if it actually hit the Earth?"

"Not on our watch." said Superman as he began to fly around the asteroid with the drill and opening up new holes left and right. Shayera followed behind him with the charges and began to place one in each new hole. By the time they finished, the asteroid was rigged and ready to blow. Shayera pressed the charge button and the asteroid suddenly had several red blinking lights, indicating that the timer was set. Superman and Shayera flew off the asteroid and floated a good distance away from the asteroid. Shayera left behind the gas detector on the asteroid as they left the surface, having discovered that the bottom part was stuck on the asteroid.

J'onn was monitoring the gases when a red alert suddenly flashed across his screen. The detector must not have picked it up until now and J'onn's eyes widened in horror as he read through the new reports. 46% of Hydrogen was listed in the screen and J'onn knew he had seconds to warn Hawkgirl and Superman.

"Hawkgirl! Superman! Get into the Javelin now!" he yelled. Superman and Shayera glanced at each other in surprise as they never once heard J'onn yell before. They both turned to try and fly back to the Javelin but the charges exploded, creating an intense fireball to hurl at the two heroes. The force knocked Shayera and Superman into the Javelin, both hitting the side of the ship and knocking them unconscious.

"Superman! Hawkgirl!" cried out J'onn when he wasn't receiving any response. The tracker to the Javelin was gone off the radar, indicating that it was no longer functioning. J'onn slowly stood from his seat and looked at the silent screen. He quickly snapped out of his own horror and called in the Lantern,

The Interstar

"Sir! We have picked up two life signals!" cried out the first mate of Interstar. The captain looked over at the radar to see that two life forms were indeed showing up and said, "Lead us to them."

As they approached the two life forms, he could see that they had been the unfortunate victims of a nearby explosion. The Captain ordered the first mate to bring them onboard. When they were contained in their own pods, the Captain was surprised to see just who they picked up.

"A Thanagarian? A Kryptonian?" he questioned.

"Yes, it really is amazing to have such a find," remarked the first mate, "The last Kryptonian in our custody. And a Thanagarian so far from home? What do you suppose her business is?"

"It is not our business to wonder these things," said the Captain, "We can appease Mongul with the Kryptonian find, but we can make business with the Thanagarian."

"Business sir?"

"Thanagarian feathers will sell for a high price in the black market." said the Captain. The crew transported the unconscious victims in their own respective cells and they began their journey back to War World.

Watchtower

"Do you know how explosive the blast was?" asked Lantern, as he and J'onn flew through space in a bubble construct.

"The hydrogen level wasn't spotted until it was too late. I could only hear the explosion but I wasn't able to connect with Superman's mind after the explosion. He was unconscious and I can only imagine the state Hawkgirl is in." said J'onn.

"Imagine?" questioned Lantern.

"I cannot read her mind. She has a natural mental shield that keeps me out." explained J'onn. Lantern cursed in his head. They were blocked at every turn in trying to find out the state of Superman and Hawkgirl. Lantern only hopes that they would be able to reach to their location in time. He prays that their spacesuits were really endurable and nothing was ruptured. He had seen many enemies and friends die in his time in the Lantern Corps because they were left to the unmerciful vacuum of space.

They neared the location of the explosion and they were both shocked at the debris that was spread around. They flew in and out of the debris trying to find any sign of the two heroes. When they couldn't see any physical evidence that their friends were around, Lantern quickly formed a search light from the bubble in order to find any form of evidence they can't see. An ion trail was a surprising find.  
"Whoever passed by here might have found them," theorized J'onn, "I now have a faint grasp on Superman's mind, but I don't know where, he's unconscious."

"Let's follow the trail and you tell me if you have a stronger connection. That way, we know we are heading in the right direction." said Lantern. They sped through space, hoping to find their friends on time.

War World

Superman awoke groggily and looked around the room. He was tired and a little weak. He has yet to recharge his cells from whatever sun was present on this planet. He looked around the room to find several aliens in chains. He wondered where he was taken when the doors from across the room burst open. A hideous looking, gray skinned humanoid walked in and began to berate the prisoners, "Pathetic. All of you. There isn't a true warrior among you that can even last five minutes in the ring."

The humanoid hulked his way over to Superman and said, "I bet you will be just another disappointment."

With that, he spat on Superman's face and walked away. Superman kept a stoic face until he knew for sure that he was far away from the cells when, using the bit of strength he had, he easily tore through the chains and freed himself.

"Why didn't you fight back when Draaga insulted you?" questioned one of the prisoners.

"Violence doesn't solve everything." said Superman. He freed all the prisoners from their chains and asked, "Have you seen another prisoner come here with me? She has red hair and wings on her back."

"The Thanagarian?" asked the prisoner. Superman was shocked and said, "You know about her people?"  
"Know about them? Yes. If I ever met one before your friend showed up? No. We have heard about the Thanagarian and Gordanian War. A lot of planets in these areas are supplying either side, finding a good market in the war." said the puce-colored plant-hybrid.

"Wouldn't it benefit the good if anybody tried to stop the war?" asked Superman.

"Perhaps, but then dictators like Mongul wouldn't be able to profit from it. He distracts the population that they are losing their natural resources to the Gordanians by having this War tournament." said the prisoner.

"Well, do you know where they took my friend?" asked Superman.

"Yes, there was talk about sending her to the General Goods store near the docking bay, Juxton."

"Why would they take her there?" asked Superman.  
"You don't know? Gordanians like to have their mattresses and pillows softened by Thanagarian feathers." said the prisoner. Superman felt the blood leave his face and asked, "Where is the General Goods store?"

"It's a mile down the street from the arena." said the prisoner and he watched in awe and Superman easily tore through the cell doors and left.

Superman quickly flew down the hallway, intending to rescue Shayera from whatever torture she might be going through. Her molting might help keep the black market vendors at bay from cutting her wings off. As he sped down the hallway, he used his super hearing and x-ray vision to help him navigate better in the building. The words 'check the forcefield around the building' caught his attention and Superman quickly flew in the direction. If there was a force-field around the city, then he needed to have that down first. He sped into the room and the unsuspecting staff were quickly knocked unconscious, allowing Superman to take the shields down. One of the best things about knowing the system language was that it was spoken by all forms in this solar system. English really was in a way, the universal language.

Once the shields were down, Superman quickly flew out of the building and was in the clear once he reached an alleyway. He glanced around and noticed that many of the inhabitants of this planet wore dull grey or brown cloaks. He waited for an opportunity and snagged an unsuspecting alien, knocking him unconscious and feeling a little guilty, left him a little in the open so someone can spot him. Superman walked through the crowd in his new cloak and made his way to the direction the prisoner said Shayera would be at. He hoped that he would be able to make it there in time to help Shayera.

Kilrun's General Goods

Shayera groaned as she felt the trader pluck her feathers off her wings. She woke up chained to the table with her wings spread out and having her feathers removed. The trader removed the feathers that were already falling out but then he began to pluck out the ones that haven't even began to molt and her new feathers. If she wasn't drugged right now, this sleaze would be on the receiving end of her talon hand. Another inconvenience on her part. This creep had removed her armor, mace, and talon-hand before he had strapped her to the table. Shayera could see that they were placed in a box, possibly for him to sell later. She caught brief parts of the conversation this trader had with her captors. Superman was sent to a fighting arena and she would have been sent there too if it hadn't been for this planet's dealings with the Gordanians.

Shayera felt fury burn within her when she discovered that this planet was helping prolong the war between the Gordanians and Thanagarians. When she gets out of this, she will look for a way to free Superman and then stop the planet's dealings with the Gordanians. She may have lost contact with her world, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't try to help out. Shayera growled when the trader plucked out five feathers at a time and struggled against her confinements to try and bash the guy's head in. The trader merely grunted in amusement and just to spite her, grabbed a fistfull of feathers and yanked them off. Shayera screamed in frustrations and fought against her chains. The trader laughed and said, "After I sell your feathers you filthy vermin, perhaps I can sell you to Despero. He always has an interest in the exotic. Maybe you can give me a taste before I do, huh?"

Shayera saw nothing but red. One minute she was struggling against her chains and the next, she snapped them off and turned to the trader in fury. She grasped his neck in one hand and with the other began to punch the living daylights out of him. She kept going and going, not bothering to restrain herself from crying out in rage with each beating. She didn't know how long she kept going when a strong hand grasped her fist and pulled her back.

"Shayera!" cried out Superman. He had tried to quickly move in the crowd to the General Goods store when he heard Shayera's cry. It wasn't like her warcry that she normally lets loose in their battles on Earth. This was something that was more beastial than anything. He had pushed people to side and burst through the door, unhinging it. He heard her from the back and saw her beating the trader. When he heard the trader give a watery groan, he stepped in quickly and snapped her out of it.

The trader was lying on the floor, with bruises decorating his face and blood trickling out of his mouth. Shayera was gasping in horror when she saw the trader bleeding and shakily released herself from Superman's grip. She slid down the wall and placed her head between her knees to try and calm her racing heart. Superman examined the trader and after concluding that he wasn't seriously injured and only had his head decked in by Shayera. He looked to see Shayera shaking on the wall and cautiously patted her shoulder, not wanting to distraught her even more. Shayera managed to stop her shaking and quietly said, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, you stopped. That's all that mattered." said Superman, "What happened?"

"He… He said that after he sold my feathers… he was going to sell me." said Shayera quietly, "And that he was going 'to get a taste' before he did."

Superman felt sick hearing that and carefully hugged her. Shayera hugged him back and said, "Thanks Clark."

This gave Superman pause and he pulled back and said, "You know?"

"It really isn't hard to connect the clues," said Shayera with a smile as she stood up, "You just put on a hat and glasses and keep your voice quiet so people don't make the connection."  
"You know you're the first since Bruce to have discovered my identity this way." remarked Superman. It was obvious to him that J'onn knows his identity based on his mind-reading but did the others know too? Shayera smiled at Bruce's name to herself and said, "I'm not surprised. I guess it's the glasses and the coats you wear. People just think you're big and the glasses really hide your blue eyes."

Superman chuckled and said, "That's exactly what ma said!"

The two friends walked out of the General Goods store after Shayera put her armor and talon hand back on and clipped her mace back on, they searched the store and found a cloak for Shayera to blend with in. After propping the trader up near the entrance so someone can find him they left the General Goods. They walked until they found an abandoned building where they began to discuss what to do next.

"How will we contact J'onn? He must be worried and have called the others." said Shayera.

"We need to figure a way of contact first and if you're up for it, I also want to try and help these people." said Superman.

"Decided to play the hero again?" teased Shayera.

"Not quite, these people deserve to fight for a better life. This Mongul character is slowly killing this planet and these people don't even know it." said Superman.

"I'm with you," said Shayera, "This planet is supplying the Gordanians to further the war and if we can stop the supply then maybe it will help weaken the Gordanians."

Superman and Shayera began to set up barriers on the doors and windows so they can have some peace for the night when Superman said, "You know, the prisoners said that there are nearby planets that actually help the Thanagarians. We might be able to contact your people."

Shayera felt her heart flutter in hope and longing, a way home? Could it really be?

"Are you sure? Maybe-"

"Hawkgirl! Superman!" said a familiar voice. Shayera and Superman turned in surprise to find J'onn and Lantern walking in the building. Lantern used his ring to fortify their barrier before walking back to the group. Shayera's wings flapped happily without her knowledge and she hugged J'onn who said, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to find you sooner."

"It's alright," said Superman, "You found us, which means we need to find a way to stop Mongul from slowly killing this planet."

A plan was formed between the four of them. J'onn and Lantern left to ask around and came back with new information regarding why most planets would align with Mongul and the Gordanians: a death ray.

"I know of spaceships that require at least seventeen chambers of rachton cells to even have the power to kill whole worlds. This? This guy is sick." said Shayera, "Thirty-Five chambers of rachton cells? No wonder this planet is deteriorating, that much rachton should have actually contaminated the population." said Shayera.

"Rachton? Is that like radiation?" asked Lantern.  
"No, well… it's kind of like it. I'd say it's more lethal however because even if you wear the best protective suit that ever existed in this universe, rachton can still burn through it. Rachton has an absorbing ability where it basically sucks away the life of the area surrounding it to keep itself alive, like fire to oxygen. In Thangar we tested it against many types of metals and so far Nth, Kryptonite, and Jersyth are the only three metals that can resist against it." said Shayera.

"Kryptonite? Your people have that?" asked Superman. Shayera shrugged and said, "We had a meteor shower back in Thanagar when I was still learning how to fly. It caused quite significant damage but nobody was seriously injured. We found out it was Kryptonite later and decided to perform tests on it."

Superman nodded in understanding. When his birth planet blew up, pieces of kryptonite were discovered to have traveled across the universe so it makes sense that some of the pieces would also land on Thanagar.

"What's Jersyth?" asked Lantern.

"It's sort of like Earth's diamonds. It's light green in color and it is mostly used for jewelry from my system." said Shayera.

"And Nth?" asked J'onn. Shayera briefly hesitated before she said, "Nth is a very volatile metal. My homeworld uses it for weaponry and as far as I can tell, we basically ran out of that resource years ago."

"Is your mace Nth?" asked Lantern.  
"Yeah, it's actually the last of its kind. I might be the only officer on Thanagar to actually have an Nth metal weapon… when I'm not supposed to." said Shayera, muttering the last part. Superman smirked at her and said, "Breaking the law, Detective?"

Shayera scowled and said, "Hey, I earned this mace. This mace is a family heirloom. As if I'd let the military take it away."

"Your talon hand I'm assuming is also made from Nth metal?" asked J'onn.

"Yeah, I was actually lucky that I was picked to test this out. I was only supposed to have it for a week before it was shipped off to some military agent." said Shayera. As the four waited for morning, they put their plan into action. With Shayera's wings having less feathers and thus crippling her ability to fly, she was to join with J'onn and Lantern while Superman confronted Mongul. As they made their way to the location of the Death Ray, Shayera unclipped her mace and told Lantern to quickly position her above the machine. When he did, J'onn quickly ambushed the facility, causing some of the technicians to begin firing the weapon. Shayera charged her mace and stared down the nuzzle of the cannon. She readied herself like a batter about to hit the ball and met the charge with a swipe of her mace. The blast was reversed back into the machine, causing it to overload. Lantern quickly formed a bubble around J'onn, himself, and Shayera and they left to inform Superman about the destruction of the death ray.

Shayera was surprised to see Superman fighting against a grey-skinned humanoid and told Lantern to land in the arena. She heard shouts of cries and dismay from the audience but she quickly yelled, "Superman! Mongul's death ray is destroyed!"

Superman had been fighting against Draaga to buy his friends more time. Trying to convince him to fight against Mongul proved to be a dead end when Draaga revealed that the death ray was automatically aimed at Draaga's homeworld and was ready to fire if Draaga didn't cooperate with Mongul's demands. Hearing Shayera's confirmation that said death ray was gone for good was all the leverage needed for Draaga to stop attacking Superman and start fighting against Mongul. Draaga proved to be a resilient fighter and defeated Mongul with no problem when the audience began to chant Draaga's name. With the fight over and Mongul in chains, Draaga was chosen by the people to lead them.

"Draaga, I have a favor to ask." said Superman.

"Anything for the one to help end Mongul's tyranny." said Draaga in a raspy voice.

"Do you know of anyway to contact the Thanagarians?" asked Superman.  
"Thanagarians? No, they tend to send a scout in these areas once every year for supplies and then they leave. The last scout passed by two months ago. The whole planet is too far for this system's communicators to reach out to." said Draaga. Shayera felt her wings droop a little but said,"Thank you Draaga and I wish you luck. Please try to keep the Gordanians away from here. This system isn't ready for a war."

"Truer words have never been spoken," said Draaga, "I will convince the other leaders in the other planets to stop their dealings, but please be ready for a response if the Gordanians decide to retaliate."

"I promise." said Shayera.

The Justice League left War World and arrived back at the Watchtower a few hours later where Wonder Woman and Flash were waiting for them.

"Where'd you guys go?" asked Flash.  
"It's a long story," said Shayera as she smoothed out her wings. The feathers that had been plucked left her wings looking sickly and unpreened but she decided to make the most of it until her feathers grew back.

"Hey I got all the time in the world." said Flash as he sped away and back for a soda. Shayera sighed but left it up to Superman and Lantern to tell the story as J'onn left to fill out a new mission report. Shayera was feeling very sleepy when Superman said, "Hey, Shayera. Can we talk?"

Shayera followed Superman to the back where he said, "I didn't tell the others about your episode at the trader's store, but I want to know if anything like that has happened before?"

"Once during my first days here on Earth," said Shayera, "Byth Rok was a criminal I was chasing and he escaped into Gotham where he began a killing spree. He was about to kill Tim and… I lost it."

"Did Bruce do anything?"

"At that point could he? He didn't know me and he had no idea if he was capable of stopping me. I managed to stop myself but… I often wonder why I go into a frenzy." said Shayera.

"If you ever need someone to talk to then, I'm here for you." said Superman. Shayera smiled at him and said, "I'm sorry Clark."

"For what?"

"When I first heard about you I thought you were a dictator. My planet's history actually has a chapter written about how the Kryptonians nearly conquered our world and I thought many negative things about you before I even met you. I'm sorry." said Shayera. Clark smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. We're friends now."

The two heroes smiled at each other and each one went back to their respective cities where Clark enjoyed his time just hanging out with Jimmy and Lois and Shayera was on the receiving end of jokes by Kendra and Andrew at her lack of feathers while she played with Junior.

 _ **Hey readers, So like? No Like? Next chapter is going to be the Fury episode so it will take a while to upload. Thanks for reading and please leave reviews :) thank you:)**_


	21. Fury

_**Fury**_

Shayera glided above Midway City, deep in thought while also keeping an eye out for trouble. She wasn't on duty-in fact, she's supposed to be resting after spending two weeks of nonstop working with the Midway City Police Department and the night and weekend work she put in for the League-but she had so much in her mind. The War World mission had opened her eyes to how the war back on Thanagar was spreading. Shayera once suspected that Thanagar is on a separate galaxy, but now everything was beginning to make sense. While Thanagar was surely too far from this Solar System and the Quadrant and the Ajuris sections of the Milky Way galaxy, Shayera now believes that Thanagar might actually be in the same galaxy.

The only question is where and how far? Again, Shayera was reminded how crucial knowledge was and she realized that perhaps she had been reading the stars wrong. What if Thanagar's location on the Milky Way was on the opposite end of where the Solar System was? Shayera had often been tempted to ask John to take her everywhere in the Galaxy in order to properly map it out. He had already been helpful enough that the holographic map of the galaxy that she and J'onn were creating was already underway. The map was to help the League navigate better through the galaxy in order to properly handle 'space missions'. It will also give them a tactical advantage in case another invasion was coming. After the Imperium Invasion however news had actually spread across the galaxy about the Justice League. John confirmed it after performing a mission for the Lanterns when the Guardians had called him up and told him that he will officially represent the Green Lanterns in the Justice League.

Shayera shook her head and brought herself back to the issue. Thanagar-Gordanian War. It was her fear that this system was going to experience the horrors that came with an intergalactic war. Earth was vastly unprepared compared to the technology Thanagar has and the Gordanians. Hell, a simple scouting ship from a Gordanian is enough to incapacitate a whole army and not take any damage from Earth weapons. The nuclear bombs might be Earth's last hope regarding an invasion but nuclear is deadly to everybody and Shayera highly doubted that the Earth's armies will want to kill their own people. No. This war was spreading and while Shayera never gave much thought of the effects the war might have on other planets, she can't stop thinking of ways on how to avert the war from its path towards Earth. Draaga made good on his word by telling the other leaders of the Quadrant section to stop their business with the Gordanians and Shayera hopes that it might buy them some time.

Shayera had been told by Bruce that her apparent greatest fear was having the Gordanians on Earth during her brief time under Scarecrow's toxin. Well, here she was reliving the fear and she was aware of it. It took a tremendous amount of will to throw a mask of indifference to the League and her Midway City family. She is honestly tempted to try and hide them, much like she did during her drugged state. She thought about ways to protect her family and it gave her the drive to work harder as a detective and protector.

While thoughts of reuniting with her people and family brought her joy, it also (surprisingly) brought stress to Shayera. She didn't want to leave behind Earth. She had truly grown to love the planet and her people as her own and Shayera couldn't bear the thought of leaving them. She tried to think about her family and pictures of her mother, father, and brother were mixed in with Emmett and his family, Mavis and David, the League, and Bruce and his family. Shayera never would have thought in a million years that she would have grown to love such an array of people. She was happy though and she would die for Earth the same way she will for her family and people on Thanagar.

Shayera was brought out of her musings when she heard Superman call her through the comm-link, "Hawkgirl, Batman sent out a distress signal in Coast City. I'm teleporting you to his location."

"I'm ready." said Shayera. Whatever Bruce has gotten himself into really needed to be the last one. Shayera was starting to feel what Alfred feels everytime Bruce went out missions by himself. It was stressing to feel worried all the time and despite Bruce's ability to perform the impossible, sometimes the impossible catches up to him. Shayera was teleported outside a lab building and she quickly made her way through the broken door. Whatever Bruce encountered left a huge wake of destruction in its path. Shayera investigated the wreckage to see more defining footsteps. Large and small dustprints of footsteps had been left behind and Shayera was able to deduce that more than one person was involved in this wreckage. Shayera flew further into the building and remained silent, not wanting to give anyone the tip that she was in the building. As she flew down one corridor, a groan caught her attention. Shayera stopped flying and looked down the hallway to the left. It had several pipes running along the wall and Shayera cautiously approached them when she saw Bruce's arm slung over one of the pipes. She nearly gasped out his name, momentarily forgetting that they were out in public where the walls had ears. Shayera quickly slung Bruce's arm around her shoulders and helped him stand. She pressed on the comm-link and said, "Superman! I need a teleport for two now!"

Shayera watched as the lab hallway disappeared and she was now in the Watchtower. Superman took Batman off her shoulders and she took the golden necklace away from his still-tight hand. As Superman took Bruce to the Medical Bay, she examined the necklace closely and found it very familiar. Its design wasn't modern, that's for sure. Most modern jewelry has added gems to it while this one was a simple gold. In fact…

Shayera quickly moved to the Watchtower Labs and put the necklace on a scanner. As the machine scanned it, Shayera typed in several key items the machine needed to look for such as the age of the jewelry and the possible locations of where to find it... Just as she suspected: the necklace was of Greek origins and was well over a few thousand years old. Taking the necklace off the scanner, Shayera quickly made her way to the Medical Bay where Superman was restraining a struggling Batman as J'onn checked him over. Shayera snorted and said, "Hold still, Batman. You'd swear J'onn was attempting to probe you."

Superman choked on his laugh as J'onn tried to hide his small smile as Batman glared at Shayera. Shayera merely gave him a cocky smirk and approached him.

"This necklace, it's Greek." she said as she addressed the three heroes.

"Greek? As in Amazonian?" asked Bruce.

"Yes," confirmed Shayera, "I'm guessing you had a run in then with one of Diana's sisters?"

"Not just the one, but she had with her Solomon Grundy, Copperhead, Tsukuri, Shade, and Star Sapphire." said Bruce.

"So we have a rogue then?" asked Superman.

"Looks that way, and a rogue who decided to form her own Injustice gang." said J'onn as he finished examining Bruce.

"So I'm guessing we all have to tell Diana?" asked Shayera.

"No, just one of us has to tell her. The rest need to find this group and quickly stop whatever it is they plan on doing." said Batman.

"Who tells Diana though?" asked Shayera. She realized then that the others were looking at her, "Me?"

"She'd go easier on you. If it were one of us, she won't believe us," said Superman and Shayera snorted as she walked.

Metropolis

The small group of villains made their way down the building as they easily bypassed the security. Shade had almost no intention of joining another group of villains, but who can say no to such a beautiful face? The golden haired beauty, Aresia, first approached him to gather other like-minded individuals in order to do a spree on numerous jewelry stores and banks. It has worked well so far and they even managed to give Batman a good beating before making their getaway with over seven hundred thousand dollars' worth of chemical technology.

They were currently running to the vault where several more pieces of important technology was stored, in which Shade knew they would be able to sell in the Black Market for millions. Whoever this Aresia woman was and wherever she came from, she knows her stuff really well. All she had to say was "25 million dollars' worth of gems" and they were all for the heist. Of course Grundy had to be the coward and not want to fight the possibility of the Justice League, but Aresia used her own charm to convince Grundy that she will take care of the League, to which Shade was grateful for. Of course if he had paid close attention, he would have seen the malicious gleam that passed Aresia's eyes.

As the group of villains made their way down to the vault, Shade was amazed at how easy their heists were. Of course, Aresia was a brilliant planner as she had sent them to take care of the guards while she took care of the security cameras. When they met up at the vault, it was a cinch to steal all the gems. Aresia arrived and began to steal a peculiar piece of red ruby. They continued to steal the vault when they heard police sirens outside. Aresia immediately took command and said, "Take what you can and go, I'll handle the police."

"I'll stay with you," said Tsukuri, ever the 'loyal' mercenary.

"No, go with the others." said Aresia. Star Sapphire formed a bubble around them and they left the Gem Depository, the police attempting to stop them with their bullets… idiots.

Aresia, meanwhile, stole one more ruby when she heard a man behind her say, "You better put that back."

Midway City

Shayera flew to the mall where the locator said Diana was. Diana spent a good amount of time in Midway City, comfortable with the friends she had made in Kendra and Mavis. Shayera entered the mall and greeted the civilians with a smile and went to the department store. Shayera entered and saw Diana being sprayed in the face with perfume by a perfume salesgirl. Diana sneezed as she tried to get the smell out of her nose and Shayera decided to step in.

"Diana!" she called out. Diana turned to Shayera and gave her a smile and asked, "What is it?"

"There's something coming up." said Shayera as she led Diana out of the store and onto the roof.

"What's wrong?" asked Diana.

"There's… so there might be an Amazon here in the area committing crime." said Shayera, deciding that bluntness might be the better way to explain things.

"What?!" Or not.

"Batman encountered one of your sisters in Gotham's Biotech Lab along with a few other hired thugs." explained Shayera. She tossed Diana the golden necklace and asked, "Amazonian design, correct?"

Ignoring Shayera's question, Diana asked, "What thugs?"

"Solomon Grundy, Copperhead, Shade, Star Sapphire, and Tsukuri." explained Shayera. She watched as anger flew across Diana's face as she said, "No, I know my sisters. An Amazon never steals and we never leave the island."

With that Diana turned to leave when Shayera said, "Never?"

Diana turned and gave her a glare while Shayera lifted her hands in the air as a show of surrender and watched as Diana flew away. Shayera sighed and hoped that Bruce and the others might be able to solve this before Diana did something drastic. Shayera flew up and began to patrol the city, deciding to start her shift early. Shayera flew to the Police department and checked in on Emmett. He greeted her with a smile and asked, "How are you?"

"Pretty good," answered Shayera, "Just stuck on a case for the League."

"Oh? Anything I can help with?" asked Emmett.

"Yeah, keep an eye out for Copperhead,Tsukuri, Star Sapphire, Shade, Solomon Grundy, and a rogue Amazonian." said Shayera. Emmett's eyes widened and asked, "Please elaborate, Shayera."

Elaborate she did and Shayera explained to Emmett everything he needed to know about the rogue Amazonian and her Injustice gang. In the end, Emmett had double the patrol around the city and had everybody hands on deck. Shayera felt a little terrible for the officers that had been pulled from their time off, but Shayera would rather have Midway City have extra protection rather than have them exposed to any type of possible threat. Shayera took to the skies after Emmett told her that Kendra and Andrew were going to come in after dropping Junior off with Alice. Shayera flew high above the city and waited for anything to pop out. She was trying very hard not to think about the rogue Amazonian and what her possible plans were.

Shayera attempted to focus on her patrol but her thoughts once again strayed back to the Injustice gang that was formed. She was worried that they might be more organized than Lex Luthor's gang and might actually prove to be a difficult group to handle for the League. Shayera sighed in frustration as it seemed that on top of the spreading war from the Thanagar-Gordanian War, she also had to deal with a renegade Amazon and her lackeys _and_ a stubborn Diana who refuses to believe the evidence. Shayera swears if it she didn't know much about Amazonians then she would have lost her temper with Diana's stubbornness.

Shayera was about two hours into her patrol when she received a call from J'onn, "Hawkgirl, we need your assistance at once."

"Now? Ok, let me clear this with Commissioner Emmett." said Shayera.

"No need. Batman has already cleared it with him." said J'onn. Shayera blinked in surprise at his words, knowing Bruce to be a bit of an intimidating man but so was Emmett.

"I bet that conversation went along fine." she said sardonically.

"You have no idea." said J'onn. Shayera waited up in the sky and was teleported up to the Watchtower. She looked to see J'onn and Batman discussing something quietly and made her way towards them.

"You needed me for something?" asked Shayera.

"I need you to go to Themyscira and investigate who this Amazon is. If Diana won't help us then we need to do it for her." said Batman. Shayera followed Bruce to the Javelin where they took off and made their way towards Greece. Shayera listened as Bruce instructed her on how to get to the island as the whole area is obscured with mist. Since men were not allowed on the island, Shayera was the only one from the League capable of setting foot on the island as Diana was still exiled from Themyscira.

"Be careful Shayera," warned Bruce, "the whole population are extremely wary of strangers."

"Who do I speak to when I get on the island?" asked Shayera.

"Look for Diana's mother. She's the queen." said Bruce. He pressed a button and Shayera got ready for the hatch to open. When it did, Shayera unbuckled herself and flew out of the Javelin. Bruce wasn't kidding when he said that the whole island was shrouded in mist. Shayera flew onwards though,remembering Bruce's instructions to fly forward and not change course. When she managed to break through the fog, Shayera was breathless at the sight of Themyscira. Untouched by the modern world for thousands of years, the architecture of the buildings remained standing as though Ancient Greece hasn't progressed along with the rest of the world. Shayera flew high above the waves and entered a forested part of the island, landing on the trees and hiding in the branches. Shayera almost wished she didn't bring her armor, but knowing that this was a warrior culture it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Batman, I'm in Themyscira. I'll contact you later once I have the information." said Shayera.

"Understood, and be careful Shayera." said Batman. Shayera smiled at the hidden concern in his voice and turned her attention out at sea where she can almost hear the Javelin's engines as Bruce flew away from the area. Shayera looked around and decided to fly above to one of the cities in order to make her presence known. Just as she was about to launch herself into the sky however, Shayera noticed a group of women down at the beach. Deciding to wait, she listened in on the conversation.

"This is a waste of time," complained one of the women, "whoever the thief is wouldn't dare remain on the island. It's suicide."

"We must follow orders and leave no stone unturned, I haven't seen the Queen this distressed since the problem with Faust." said the leader. Shayera watched them walk past her and leaned over the branch to try and listen better. As though Kirche—the trickster god of Thanagar—heard her, her hand slipped and the bark on the branch broke off, the sound echoing loudly enough to capture the attention of the women.

"Intruder! Capture her!" commanded the leader.

"Wait! Wait! I'm-" cried out Shayera, but they threw their spears at her and Shayera barely had time to fly out of the way before she was impaled.

"Wait! I'm a friend of-" and again she was cut off as a net was thrown over her. Shayera fell to the ground hard and black spots covered her vision before she could see clear again. Using her talon hand, she snapped through the net and flew up high again.

"WAIT!" she yelled.

"For what? For you to steal from us again?" snarled one of the blonde women.

"NO! I'm a friend of Princess Diana! I have urgent news for your Queen!" yelled Shayera as she remained flying up in the air in place. The women stared at her suspiciously before the leader said, "Fine, come on down so we can talk."

"Are you touched in the head?" said Shayera, much to the shock of the Amazonians, "You tried to impale me with your spear! I'm not going anywhere with you until I know for sure that you won't attempt to stab me in the back."

Looking a little embarrassed, the leader said, "I'm sorry. I swear upon our Lady Hera that no harm shall come upon you unless in self-defense."

Knowing based on what she has seen from Diana, Shayera knew she could trust the Amazons to follow their leader in her oath and flew back down. She followed them to the biggest building of the island where a blonde elderly woman sat on the throne.

"Your highness," said the leader, "We have a visitor from man's world. She claims to be friends with Diana."

"What is your purpose for being here?" commanded the Queen in her regal voice.

"One of your Amazons that is not Diana is on the loose creating havoc. She has already performed several thefts across the country." said Shayera.

"This is a serious accusation." warned the Queen and Shayera took out the necklace from her chest pocket and lifted it in the light.

"Does this seem familiar?" asked Shayera. Surprise flittered across the Queen's face and she stood from her throne and walked in front of Shayera and grabbed the necklace. She looked at it with scrutiny and ordered to one of the Amazons, "Have my horse ready immediately."

Shayera flew and followed the Queen to the other side of the island where it wasn't as inhabited. A lone lighthouse stood on the beach and Shayera landed beside the Queen. The Queen took a lit torch outside the lighthouse and opened the doors.

"Aresia was supposed to remain here in solitary confinement for her meditation." explained the Queen

"Why? Is she being punished?" asked Shayera.

"No, it is for her rebirth." said the Queen and she began the sad tale of Aresia. A poor girl born in a war torn country and had been forced to flee her home with her mother. They had taken a refugee ship but they were sitting ducks for the enemy warships. A torpedo caught the ship and poor Aresia was the only survivor.

"I found her on the beach," said the Queen, finishing her tale, "we adopted her and she became one of us. I often wondered though if I did the right thing, taking her in."

"What could you have done though? You did the right thing." said Shayera as they reached Aresia's room. The room was dusty and the candles that lit the room had been melted to the point where they were at its last strand. Shayera looked at the bed and noticed its disheveled appearance and said, "She was in a hurry to leave. I'd give it at least a month that she had been planning this, possibly harboring all the stolen materials she took from your island to this tower. When she had her way out, she took advantage of the fact that she was in solitary confinement and left. It will take maybe at least a week maybe to organize the thugs she hired, so I'd give her disappearance two weeks maybe. The way the dust is settled shows maybe longer."

"Those are good deductive skills." remarked the Queen as she watched Shayera investigate the room, not touching anything.

"Thanks, Batman showed me most of the things he knew when I was promoted to Detective." said Shayera as she looked at a chest covered by a drape. Perhaps Aresia attempted to disguise it as a desk or a seat but Shayera noticed the indentation of the hatch beneath the drapes.

"Batman?" asked the Queen.

"He was here the last time your daughter was on the island, he wears black and has a bat symbol on his chest?" explained Shayera.

"Oh, I thought that name sounded familiar." said the Queen as she watched Shayera remove the drape from the chest and opened it. Shayera coughed a little from the dust that rose up but she quickly investigated the contents of the box and noticed very modern items inside it.

"City plans, blueprints, bus passes, and textbooks." said Shayera.

"These items are forbidden here." said the Queen.

"Why?"

"We believe that contact with the outside world can corrupt us." explained the Queen. Shayera pulled out a textbook and read the title outloud, "History of Germ Warfare. It's starting to look that way."

After promising the Queen that she will apprehend Aresia and bring her back to Themyscira, Shayera contacted Batman and flew out to the sea past the mist barrier in order meet up with him. Shayera only had to stay flying around for five minutes when she heard the Javelin's engines. She flew out to meet him halfway and entered the ship.

"What have you uncovered?" asked Bruce as Shayera strapped herself in.

"She has been planning an attack, some type of germ warfare." explained Shayera and told Bruce about her discovery of Aresia's planning.

"It makes sense," said Bruce as the day turned to night, "the chemicals she had stolen from the lab, the attack at the gem depository."

"Why a gem depository though?" asked Shayera, "To continue her funding for the hired help?"

"Not necessarily," said Bruce, "I looked deeper into the background of the gems and she had stolen all the gems that contain chemical compounds."

"Chemical compounds? And they turn it into jewelry?" asked Shayera.

"Disguised it really, the chemicals are notorious in the black market and sellers have been creative at how they disguise their products." explained Bruce.

"Smart," said Shayera, "unfortunately it seems that it only gave Aresia the easy access she needed."

"Any idea for motive?" asked Bruce.

"Do you have to ask? A small girl raised in a war torn country and having lost her whole family. It can traumatize a child to see such horror." said Shayera, looking at Bruce. She knew of his background, the Absorbascon having fed her the headlines that came with the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Bruce showed no emotion however and continued flying the ship.

"Hawkgirl! Batman!" came the voice of J'onn. Bruce pressed the communicator and said, "What is it?"

"Superman has come into contact with a disease. He is currently unconscious. Diana has informed me that perhaps her Amazonian sister had given it to him."

"Be careful J'onn," instructed Bruce, "Hawkgirl and I believe that this rogue Amazonian might be trying to create a germ warfare."

"I'll warn the others," said J'onn, "Go to Metropolis, there is a riot ensuing."

"A riot?" asked Shayera.

Batman changed course of the Javelin and they made their way to Metropolis. Sure enough, smoke was rising from the city and they landed the Javelin ontop of a building. Exiting out, they were able to hear sirens and people screaming or shouting for help. A memory flashed across Shayera's mind of an early childhood. She had been only five years of age and had been playing with her friends when an air siren sounded out. The Gordanians had launched an attempted invasion that day and Shayera could recall the screams she heard that day.

"Shayera?" called out Bruce's voice in her head. Snapping out of it, she saw him give her a look. The worry was miniscule but it was still there.  
"Sorry, just remembered an air raid." said Shayera.  
"Will you be fine?" asked Bruce.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I'm used to this." said Shayera. However she knew that five years living on Earth had been peaceful compared to Thanagar. Bruce and Shayera peeked over the edge of the building to see bodies strewn about the street as emergency responders did their best to help the sick.

"Half the city has been infected already." said Shayera.

"Yes, the male half." said Bruce and sure enough, Shayera looked closely to see that it was only males that were affected by the disease.

"Omar." she breathed, horrified as she now understood Aresia's plans, "She's attempting to wipe out the male population."

A scream was heard from inside one of the burning buildings and Shayera immediately launched into action. Flying up high, she dove into the building and crashed through the glass. Keeping her wings tight to her body, Shayera looked around in the inferno to see a small boy huddled in the corner. Shayera quickly ran through the flames, feeling them lick at her wings and after grabbing the boy she crashed through the wall to be outside. Flying high, Shayera flew down and gave the ill boy to a first responder. She watched as they drove away with five bodies in critical care in the ambulance when Shayera heard tires screech behind her. She turned in surprise to see a bus about to collide with a firetruck and grabbed the helm of the firefighter woman and launched themselves away from the danger. The bus fell over and skidded to a stop before it hit the truck. Shayera landed the firefighter woman away from the near collision and went to check on the cause of the bus' near collision. She saw the front windshield shatter and Bruce came out carrying an unconscious driver. A nearby first responder took the driver off of Batman's hands and Shayera immediately noticed the perspiration on the visible part of his face.

"Batman!" she cried out, as he fell forward and she caught him before he hit the ground. Shayera felt his face and even wearing the glove armor, she could feel his temperature rising underneath it.  
"Hera," she heard someone say behind her and turned to see Diana look on in horror, "Not Batman too."

"So what? That makes Superman and Batman now? Help me get him to the Javelin, he needs to be with J'onn right now." said Shayera.

"Not just Superman, but Lantern and Flash too." said Diana quietly as she easily carried Bruce and followed Shayera to the Javelin.

"What?" asked Shayera as she landed beside the Javelin, "Lantern and Flash have been infected too?"

"Yes, Lantern managed to get himself and Flash to the Watchtower in time before he fell ill. I fear that this disease is spreading quickly to other cities." said Diana. Shayera though stiffened at her words and said, "Other cities?"

Shayera pressed on her comm-link and said, "J'onn, I need a teleport to Midway City. Now! Diana will arrive at the Watchtower with Bruce."

"Shayera, perhaps you should-"

"Now!" ordered Shayera. Silence on the other end until the familiar light of teleportation surrounded Shayera. She turned to Diana and said, "Meet me in Midway!"

Shayera was teleported outside the Midway City Police Station where female officers and detectives were running in and out of the building. Noticing Mary Paul, a friendly officer that always says hello to her, Shayera stopped her and asked, "Where is Kendra?"

"Hawkgirl! Thank the Lord! Kendra is at the hospital with Andrew and the Commissioner! Assistant Commissioner Banks is in charge for now!" informed Mary as she jog-walked into the building. Shayera quickly flew to the hospital, often at times having to stop and help emergency responders save citizens from burning buildings and having to help stop accidents from happening on the streets. When she finally made it to the hospital, families were crying as mothers and daughters were awaiting news from the nurses and doctors about their fathers, husbands, and sons. Shayera felt her heart speed up rapidly as she walked up to the receptionist desk.

"I'm here for Commissioner Emmett." she heard herself say, not really feeling her mouth move. The receptionist pointed Shayera down the hallway and she walked down the hallway.

Her hearing was muffled as a ringing soon took over her hearing. She could hear herself breathe as she neared the hospital door and opened it. Kendra and Alice were in the room with Emmett and Andrew in their own hospital beds, each of the men fighting off the disease. Shayera though had her attention pointed at the bassinet in the room. The ringing in her ears got louder as she walked into the room, not hearing Kendra's voice or Alice's. She looked in the bassinet and saw little George Junior breathing with difficulty in his breathing tube. The ringing was all Shayera could hear and she turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Kendra's red, puffy eyes looked at Shayera's worried ones. The ringing went away and she could hear again as Kenra said, "Shayera, please tell me that this can be fixed."

Shayera nodded and said, "I'll fix it. I promise."

"Shay, they said that Junior might not make it, please hurry." pleaded Kendra as sobs consumed her. Shayera hugged Kendra and gently led her to Alice and was about to leave the room when she saw Diana standing hesitantly in the doorway. Shayera watched as Diana walked in with shaky legs as she walked over to the bassinet. Diana spent enough time in Midway City that she had developed a bond with little Junior and to see the baby close to death, Diana felt a new feeling stir within her.

"Let's go." said Diana as she quickly walked out of the room. Shayera turned to Kendra and asked, "Do you know where David and Mavis are?"

"They're in an art show in LA. David and Mavis called and said that they might prolong their trip so David can stay safe from this." said Kendra, her voice scratchy and thick with tears. Shayera nodded in relief that at least David was out of Midway for now. Shayera followed Diana outside and the two heroines flew in silence as they began their search for Aresia. They flew high above the city and Diana was the first to spot the pink figure of Star Sapphire headed their way. Shayera didn't even think, much like when she had dismembered Byth or when she nearly beat the trader at War World to death, but she flew past Diana and met Star Sapphire with a mace to the face.

Shayera only saw red as she attempted to hit Star Sapphire with another blow, only to have Diana grab her in a bear hug. Shayera roared in frustration and flared her wings, knocking back Diana. She swung her mace with the electricity charged at its deadly highest and attempted to swing at Sapphire's head again. Star Sapphire luckily managed to form an effective shield around herself, but the force of electricity that seemed to appear like lightning was enough to shake Sapphire to her core. Sapphire gasped as she lost her focus and was exposed to the incoming mace. Diana had grabbed her lasso and had properly secured Shayera. Shayera was about to use her talon hand again on the magic lasso when Diana grabbed her in another bear hug, this time more securely.

"You better have a proper hold on her! She's insane!" cried out Star Sapphire.

"Keep talking like that and I might reconsider holding her back." threatened Diana. Sapphire grimaced at her words and said, "Alright, truce. I wanted to come here to warn you about Aresia."

Shayera calmed down a little bit and allowed Sapphire to continue, "She's at the Midway military airfield. She plans to use the chemical bombs in the atmosphere and contaminate the whole world."

"What do you have to gain from this?" asked Shayera.

"She's insane… although possibly not as insane as you." said Sapphire. Shayera snarled and Sapphire raised her hands in surrender.  
"Lead the way," ordered Diana. The flight to the Military Airfield was short but tense. Shayera never took her sights off of Sapphire in case she might double-cross them while Diana warily kept an eye on Shayera. She had heard from Superman about her frenzy state when he was talking to Bruce about it. It might be a Thanagarian instinct or a state of mind, but Diana had been surprised at the level of strength Shayera had displayed. She had easily overpowered Diana and if she didn't have her lasso then Star Sapphire might have been dead. Still though, Shayera did frighten Star Sapphire which also meant that if she attempted to double cross them then Diana wouldn't be so lenient on holding back Shayera.

They landed outside the hangar of a Blackbird. Sapphire opened the hangars with her powers and the trio entered to see Aresia and Tsukuri about to board the plane.

"Aresia! Stop!" ordered Diana. Shayera had to struggle to keep her face smooth and collected as Aresia and Diana began to have a verbal match against each other. Shayera though noticed Tsukuri inching towards the ship and flew to block her path. A mistake as once she had her back turned, Sapphire shot an energy blast at her back. Shayera screamed as she fell down and Diana turned in shock. Sapphire formed a bubble around Diana as Aresia said, "It's too bad that you vouched for the despicable men, Diana. You could have been a part of something great."

"Nothing is great about what you're doing Aresia," argued Diana, "You want to kill innocents all for revenge. This is not justice!"

"What do you know?! Exiled from your own home! That should have warned you about the consequences of man's world!" snarled Aresia.

"Then I don't feel as bad then." said Diana.

"Of what?" asked Aresia, but she was suddenly knocked into the wall. Diana was chilled at seeing the frenzy look return in Shayera's eyes. Shayera snarled and flared her wings out, slamming Tsukuri with it and into the plane. The force of the knockout was enough that when Tsukuri slammed against the plane, it left an indentation. Star Sapphire attempted to contain Shayera, but like before Shayera charged her mace to its lethal levels and broke free from the pink bubble. Star Sapphire only had enough time to form a small shield against the strike but the force of it was enough to throw her against the wall and knock her unconscious.

Tsukuri attempted to strike against Shayera but Diana quickly lassoed her and threw her against the crates. Aresia tried to fight against Diana but Shayera quickly tackled her to the ground, mace forgotten on the floor. Shayera could never really describe the emotions she feels whenever she enters into this state. One minute she is calm and the next she cannot stop her rage. Shayera would be lying if she said that she wasn't afraid, however she allowed her own instincts to fight for her and continued to bash Aresia around until she heard Diana's voice in the background.

"Shayera stop!" cried out Diana. Shayera refocused her attention to the wall and continued to beat against it to get rid of the adrenaline. Diana walked over to a badly beaten Aresia and commanded, "Yield."

Aresia glared at Diana but after hearing Shayera's war cry, she laid back down with her hands raised. Shayera was just about done with her frenzy when she knocked aside a wall. She noticed the office space and the papers on the desk. She calmed her beating heart and looked at the writing. They were written in Greek. Shayera calmed down fully and was able to properly look at the writing and realized that perhaps they were Aresia's notes on the chemicals. Shayera quickly called in J'onn, horrified when he responded with a sickly voice. Shayera ran outside to where Diana was properly detaining Aresia, having removed the magic bracelets that had granted Aresia Amazonian strength.

"Diana! I found her notes!" called out Shayera. It took a while but when Shayera contacted Kendra and Mary Paul, they were able to quickly apprehend Star Sapphire and Tsukuri. Aresia was taken to Themyscira by Diana in the Javelin while Shayera quickly flew to the Labs where she was able to translate the notes quickly. One of the blessings from the Absorbascon that fateful day she had crashlanded on Earth was that when she learned _all_ of Earth's languages,it also included the ancient ones. The teams of scientists were quick to whip up a batch of the cure and were able to send the formula to all the infected cities. Shayera had never in her life felt much relief than when Junior opened his eyes and happily gurgled at her once he was cured.

When the men of the League were cured, Shayera could have danced. Of course she didn't but it was the thought she supposed that mattered. She was even happier to see Bruce on his feet again. Of course for a good three days after the epidemic, she spent it keeping an eye on him. She even visited the Manor more often just to see if Bruce was still doing well. Bruce knew about her worries but allowed her to silently fret over him, knowing that if the positions were reversed then he would have done the same. It was the night where they just sat in front of the fireplace that helped Shayera learn to stop worrying and just enjoy the moment.

Shayera and Diana were sitting in the Monitor Room the next day when Diana asked, "How is it that men could be so essential to your world? I never would have believed it until Aresia had tried to wipe them out."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it princess." said Shayera with a smirk. Diana was surprised at her answer but smiled nevertheless, happy that for now—with Aresia in prison on Themyscira and receiving justice from her mother—she can relax at least. Diana had been joyous when Shayera had informed her that Commissioner Emmett, Andrew Grubs, and Junior had been cured. She had gone to visit Kendra and tried to apologize on behalf of her sister's misguided beliefs, but Kendra and Alice were quick to tell Diana that it wasn't her fault. Diana even got spend more time with Junior that day and was happy that she had been able to help divert a tragedy.

 _ **Hey readers, so finals week is upon me and I am studying like hell. Hopefully you liked this chapter. Next up, a certain model will be introduced and Metamorpho will be in play. Thanks for reading :) Also I hoped the beginning part of this chapter clears up any questions about the distance Thanagar is from Earth and the upcoming war.**_


	22. Rex and Grodd

**_Rex and Grodd_**

It has been known throughout Midway City, Central City, and Detroit that Hawkgirl is a renown heavy drinker in bars. No matter what type of beer brand or how much is consumed, Hawkgirl never gets drunk. There have been bets made about how much alcohol Shayera could consume and it always made for amusing bar gambling. Shayera would always go though with Lantern and Flash. They always had fun and Shayera always made sure that her two human companions didn't overdose or did anything stupid. Some nights though she would go to Gotham where she would have a brandy with Bruce and Alfred and spend the night just talking.

Shayera sighed as she recalled the last time she was at Wayne Manor two nights ago and wished she could spend more time with Bruce and Alfred. The winter season was upon them and the snow always made for chilly flights. Shayera, who was born in a tropical planet, still had difficulty flying in this weather. She loved the sight of the city in snow but despised having to fly in it. Her feathers always got wet once the snowflakes on her wings melt and it took longer to dry than her hair. Which is why she was so happy that Mosley, the bartender of Avian Spirits in Midway City, had turned the heat up in the bar.

Avian Spirits was Shayera's favorite place to go, not just for the drinks, but for Mosley's famous grilled beef stew. Eel heads were Shayera's favorite fast food dish and the grilled beef stew was her favorite dinner dish. Shayera was currently eating her fifth bowl when she heard Flash, sitting next to her, start an argument with someone down the bar. She looked to see three large strong men stare him down and trying to bully Flash off his seat. Shayera coughed loudly to grab their attention and made sure her mace was visible on the counter. The three men paled a little and walked off, not wanting to start a fight with Midway's hero.

"Thanks Hawkgirl," said Flash, his words slurred a little, "anyways, I was meaning to ask, how do you get paid? You have a bank account at a bank or what?"

"Commissioner Emmett has always paid me in the form of cash. I am not born in this planet and I don't have social security or any proper documentation." explained Shayera as she brought out another twenty bill to order two more beef stews. Flash paid in cash as well, knowing that using credit or debit will easily give away his secret identity. Shayera and Flash were waiting for Lantern, who said he was bringing someone along to hang out with them. Not knowing who it was, Shayera and Flash made a bet to see who John might be bringing. Shayera suspects an friend while Flash insists it's a woman. They both argued back and forth about it until John finally showed up with a man in a Marines jacket with a pretty blonde on his arms.

"Hawkgirl, Flash," greeted John, "I'd like you to meet Rex Mason and his fiance Sapphire Stagg."

"Pleasure to meet you," said Shayera as she shook hands with Mason and Sapphire.

"Yeah, any good stories about John?" asked Flash.

"Oh boy do I have some!" said Mason with a large grin. John though immediately panicked and said, "No! We are not talking about anything!"

"What? No, your teammates want to know more about you," said Mason with a smug grin, "Let's talk to them about the first night at boot camp."

"MASON!" cried out John. It was a fun night and Shayera really liked Mason and Sapphire. They made a cute couple and Shayera was almost sad to see them retire early for the night as Mason had work in the morning. John, Flash, and Shayera continued to spend the night drinking and exchanging stories when a beautiful woman sat beside John. Flash, noticing her, quickly zipped on the other side of the bar to be beside her and said, "Hey gorgeous, my names the Flash. What's yours?"

The woman was a little surprised by the Flash's introduction but she quickly composed herself and said with a smirk, "Mari McCabe, nice to meet you."

Flash's eyes widened and he said, "Wait, McCabe? As in the McCabe fashion line?"

"The one and only." said Mari. Shayera had been eating her beef stew when the Absorbascon blared to life again, feeding her information about fashion, modeling, and the famous Mari McCabe. Flash was attempting to pull off some pick up lines and failing at it when John-finally feeling irritated-said, "Listen, I'm sorry, but he likes to shoot his mouth sometimes. Flash, stop."

Flash pouted but heeded John's suggestion and zipped back by Shayera's side where she chuckled at his pout and furled her wing over him in comfort. Mari attempted to hide her smile but failed and directed her smile at John, who gulped in response. Recognizing when interest was being shown, Shayera decided to help the stubborn marine get off his arse by hooking her foot around the legs of his stool and tipping him into the unsuspecting model's arms. They both gave cries of surprise as they fell to the floor as Flash tried to his laughter at the look of John's face by forcing his hands over his mouth. Shayera smirked and continued to eat her beef stew as John sputtered apologies to Mari, even when she was laughing at the whole situation.

"I really mean it, I'm so sorry this happened." apologized John.  
"It's alright, boo. I know how having pushy friends can lead you to get pushed into situations." said Mari as she gave a knowing smile at Shayera. Shayera merely smirked and resumed eating her beef stew as though she didn't just throw John into a model's arms. Flash was giving Shayera the thumbs up as John and Mari began to talk. While they talked, Shayera and Flash both quietly betted on whether John was going to ask her on a date tonight or if they were going to meet up later as acquaintances before they officially start dating.

As the night wore on, the bar was slowly decreasing of guests and the trio of heroes and Mari walked out into snowy streets. Shayera shivered and wrapped her wings tighter around herself in an effort to keep herself warm. She needed to get home quickly, otherwise she would have to deal with sleeping with wet feathers. Flash said his goodbyes and sped away back to Central City. Shayera turned to see John awkwardly try to set up a date and decided to help him again.

"So how about we meet again tomorrow, tiger?" flirted Mari. When Shayera recognized that John was going to try and back out, she quickly intervened and said, "He's free all day."

"What?" said John, frustrated and annoyed that Shayera was intervening again.

"Yeah, he's free from Monitor Duties and he doesn't have any missions for the Lantern Corps. Remember John? You were bragging how you were the only one of us that didn't have anything to do this weekend." said Shayera. The slow frown forming over the Lantern's face made her want to laugh at him but then Mari said, "I'm down if you are, boo."

John's entire demeanour changed from wanting to strangle Shayera alive to feeling pleased that Mari wanted to spend a Saturday with him. Shayera smiled and quickly left before John decided to remember why he wanted to throttle her. She took one last look at John and Mari and smiled when Mari planted a kiss on John's cheek.

As Shayera flew high above the buildings, she quickly made her way back to the museum and was relieved to see that she had the good mind to her portable heater on in her small apartment. Her hammock was already swamped with over there large quilts and a heating pad that Mavis and David had so thoughtfully given to her. Shayera also had thick pajamas to wear to sleep, something that she was actually wearing for the first time since her crash landing on Earth. Shayera has always slept in her jumpsuit while sleeping, taking care to wash her only Thanagarian clothing with careful hands. Her armor was easy to clean and repair but her mace and talon hand had to be repaired using some of Bruce's high tech gear.

As Shayera put her fuzzy pajamas on, she was instantly lulled to sleep and groggily made her way to her hammock. She thanked the seven heavens that she had an evening shift tomorrow and went into a deep sleep, relieved and satisfied that for once she might actually have a full night's rest.

 **Stagg Industries: 2 Days Later**

Rex Mason charged into the Stagg Industries building in order to confront Mr. Stagg. The accident at the subway was no accident as Mason found out. Java, Mr. Stagg's personal assistant, was discovered in CTTV cameras carrying a strange briefcase into the train. The same briefcase was discovered with chemical burns in the storage compartment, a strange chemical that had been taken away for analysis.

Mason was pissed. He had defended Stagg to John and the Justice League, telling them that Stagg was a good businessman. He was a fool to be blinded by his promotions and Stagg's praises. Mason needed to know though what the chemicals were for before he made any real accusations against Stagg. He had already spoken with Sapphire about his decision and while she was a little apprehensive considering how it was her father, she supported Mason for doing the right thing.

Mason walked into Mr. Stagg's office just as Stagg was finishing his verbal outburst on Java. When he noticed Mason however he quickly sent out the caveman-like assistant out of the room and greeted with a warm welcome.

"Mason! I'm so happy to see you. Come in!" greeted Mr. Stagg. Mason walked in and kept his calm heart steady, not wanting to set off the famous temper of Mr. Stagg. Mason thanked his lucky stars that Sapphire took more after her mother and not her father. Mason remained standing across the desk as Mr. Stagg took his seat.

"What brings you to my office Mason?" asked Mr. Stagg.

"Mr. Stagg, I want to ask about your importing of dangerous chemicals from the subway collision incident." said Mason, deciding that it was better to address the issue now and not linger.

"Wh… What? That's a preposterous allegation, Mason." said Mr. Stagg.

"Then why did I see Java enter the Metrocar with a suitcase that was found at the scene of the crime with illegal chemicals?" demanded Mason. This is it, this was the moment in which the infamous Stagg anger will explode. Already Mason could see the red spread across Stagg's face as he stood up forcefully and yelled, "How is this any of your business?!"

"It's my business if innocent people are getting hurt, Stagg!" yelled Mason, "If it wasn't for the Green Lantern then we would have had hundreds of people dead in that Metroline!"

"This is none of your damn business Mason!" yelled Stagg, "Now get out of here before I fire you!"

"Already one step ahead of you," mocked Mason, "I got offered a better job in Chicago and I'm leaving tommorow tonight with Sapphire."

"What?" asked Mr. Stagg, not believing his ears at what he heard.  
"Sapphire and I have been in a relationship for the last two years, we're engaged and we're moving to Chicago." said Mason.

"Lies! All lies!" screeched Mr. Stagg. The thought of his beloved daughter moving so far away from him… he can't let that happen. He glared at Mason when a new thought entered his head. He needed a test subject for the Metamorphosis Solution and he needs to break up Mason and his daughter. He sat back down in his desk and said, "Get out. I want all your belongings out of here by tonight." snarled Mr. Stagg. Mason left, relieved that he only had the screaming match with Mr. Stagg and unaware of the plans Stagg had for him. Mr. Stagg meanwhile was happy to have sent Java back to collect more chemicals, this time taking a private town car to get the delivery in one piece and avoid any more scandal.

 _Later that Night_

Mason's office was located next to the storage unit so when he was cleaning out his desk, he heard a door breaking open in the next room. Reaching for the phone, he called security and said, "Hello? Hey, I heard something in the storage room. Hello?" Slamming the receiver down, Mason muttered, "There's nobody around when you need them."

Getting up from his desk, Mason made his way over to the storage unit. He walked in and turned his flashlight on to see who was attempting to break in. As a former Marine, Mason wasn't afraid of any possible armed thug. He was a little wary though to find a lone cylindrical unit in the middle of the floor. He walked towards it slowly, glancing around the room to be sure that he was alone. He looked at the unit curiously, wondering why it was on the floor. He looked over to see the door broken off its hinges, so Mason assumed that whoever broke in had accidentally left behind the unit. He walked over to it and picked it up, deciding to investigate more on it later when he was suddenly trapped in a glass container.  
"What?" was all Mason could say when he was suddenly sprayed from above and below by a white mist. Mason began to choke on it, unable to find a place to breathe. He didn't understand what was happening at first until the burning sensations began. He screamed as the fire went up his legs, falling to his knees as he can't stop the fire. Next came the ice that was piercing his head. Mason gripped his head in his hands, trying to think straight. It hurt. God it hurt so much. Mason laid down on his side, curling up in an attempt to stop his pain. The burning and the ice began to mix together. Mason gave one final cry of agony before his body finally numbed.

 _Detroit_

John sighed as he looked at his glass of whiskey, thinking about his last conversation with Mason. His friend really had the good life. He was meeting with Mari, going to see an opera show that started in about an hour at Metropolis. John was going to fly them once Mari showed up. He was deep in his thought that he didn't hear several people in the bar give cries of delight to see a famous patron walk in. John was only aware of his sudden guest when she sat down next to him and said, "You know, Flash has been telling me that you looked a little distracted today in the Watchtower."

John turned to Hawkgirl and said, "So he decided to send you to pester me too?"

"No, he tried to send Batman," said Shayera, smiling at the memory, "Batman said that you were a big boy and whatever issues you had that you can get over it yourself."

"An you obviously decided to butt in?" asked John.

"Don't say like I make things worse by butting in, you wouldn't be in your relationship with Mari if I hadn't." smirked Shayera.

"Yeah, yeah," muttered John, "So then why butt in right now? Is it a Thanagarian custom to butt into other people's business?"

"In stranger's businesses? No, I don't particularly wish to solve other people's problems. When my friends though tend to bottle up their problems and don't share, then I take that as my cue to butt in." said Shayera as she paid for BBQ fries. As far as alcohol goes, Shayera would only ever drink it when she wasn't on hero duty. She is actually supposed to be in the Watchtower but she has Clark covering for her for a few minutes so she can try to figure out what's wrong with Lantern.

"I don't know why I should tell you my problems." said John.

"We're a team, John. You're my friend and like it or not, I worry for you all. If you don't want to share your problems with me, then I spy with my hawk-like eyes a beautiful date heading towards you that you might be able to open up to." said Shayera as she nodded towards Mari, who had just entered the bar. John smiled at Mari who walked next to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek and a hug.  
"Should I be worried to find you two in a bar by yourselves?" teased Mari.

"Nah," said Shayera, "He's way too military for me."

"Screw the police." muttered John.

"Don't make me arrest you." smiled Shayera as she waved good-bye to the two, taking her BBQ fries with her. She called for Superman to teleport her up and resumed her Monitor Duties, sharing the fries with Clark.

 _Metropolis General Hospital_

"Mason?"

Sapphire's voice was the first he heard after a long time in the darkness. Mason groaned and tried to sit up when he felt her hands push him back down.  
"Stay down you big lug," she scolded lightly, "You were in a serious chemical accident."

Mason opened his eyes and could make out Sapphire's blurred shape. He blinked several times to focus his vision and when he did, her beautiful blue eyes were the first he saw with clarity.

"Sapphire? What happened?" asked Mason, trying to sit up again but getting pushed back down.  
"Stay down, you lug," said Sapphire, "You were in a chemical accident in daddy's lab. You accidentally triggered a prototype."  
"It hurts," complained Mason, "I… I was on ice and fire at the same time."

"Mason," said Sapphire, "You're ok now though, right?"

"Yes. I feel… different though." said Mason. He felt lighter than ever in years but at the same time more solid. He couldn't understand it though and successfully sat up. Sapphire looked at worriedly and Mason knew that something was wrong.  
"Sapphire? What's wrong with me?" asked Mason. Sapphire hesitated, not sure how to respond to her fiancée that he had dramatically changed throughout the whole prototype's procedure. Mason noticed her reaction and looked around the room, noticing the small mirror on his bedside table. Grabbing it, Mason looked at himself and recoiled at the sight that was presented to him. A pale white face was staring at him, all his hair on his face was gone. He threw back the bedsheets and saw that his whole body below the neck was separated into four colors and different skins. His left side was completely purple and made of stone, his right side was red and made of some type of organic skin, his bottom left was blue and ice, and his bottom right was brown and wood. Rex looked at his new body in a mixture of disgust, wonderment, and fear.

"Rex," soothed Sapphire, "It's ok."

"No! It's not ok!" cried Rex, "What's wrong with me? What happened?"

"Rex! Calm down!" cried out Sapphire, but Rex was leaping off his hospital bed and made efforts to walk outside his hospital room. He felt something within him change and soon he was no longer solid but mist. Mason could feel everything in his body. It didn't matter that as a mist he was spread out, he can feel himself still. Rex was terrified that he will no longer be solid when his mist form phased back into a body. Mason gasped and looked at himself more closely in the mirror. With his shorts on, Mason had given Sapphire a full view of his body. She watched Mason as he continued to stare at himself.

"Rex, it's going to be ok." soothed Sapphire. It seemed that whatever those chemicals did gave him some incredible abilities, but Sapphire was more focused on Rex's well-being than anything. He turned to her in surprise and said, "You're not appalled by me?"

"What?" asked Sapphire incredulously, "Rex, I don't care what you look like. I love you, you big dummy."

Rex smiled in relief and hugged Sapphire, happy that Sapphire wasn't vain.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" screamed Mr. Stagg. Mason and Sapphire jumped in surprise and turned to see Mr. Stagg and Java enter the room.

"Daddy?"

"Get away from him Sapphire, he's an abomination!" cried out Mr. Stagg.

"What? No. Daddy, I love him."

"No you don't! Not with him looking like that! I want you to stay away from my daughter Mason! I want you out of here now!" cried out Mr. Stagg.

"No! Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" yelled Sapphire.

"Do I have to spell it out for you Sapphire? Stay away from him or the next treatment will be a fatal one!" threatened Mr. Stagg.

"Treatment? You did this to me?" asked Rex, shocked.

"I need you away from my daughter and there was no way that I was going to let you take her." snarled Mr. Stagg.

Mason knew that Stagg was insane but this? This had to be the most outrageous and craziest stunt Stagg has ever pulled. Mason could feel within himself that he was capable of doing so much with his new body and decided to put it to the test. Mason stood in front of Sapphire and willed his left hand to light up in flames. When it did, Mason gave Stagg a smirk and said, "Run."

 _Watchtower_

"So Thanagar doesn't have sports teams then?" asked Superman, passing the time away by asking Shayera questions.

"Yes. We have Olympic-type games but nothing that requires teamwork. We have tournaments. My father was supposedly a reigning boxing champion and I always had it in my mind that if life in the Thanagarian Law Enforcement didn't work then I would have joined the Aerial League and become reigning champion." said Shayera.

"What's the Aerial League?" asked Superman.

"It's something of a cross between dare-devils and plane shows. Flyers have to perform dangerous and outrageous flight patterns. Flyers are ranked by agility, speed, and creativity. I have seen so many flyers perform the most spectacular routines. I was raised in the countryside before my family moved to the city, so I always had room and space to practice." explained Shayera.

"That's very fascinating." said Superman, "I wonder-"

The red alarm swept through the Watchtower and Shayera and Superman immediately looked up the cause. They watched as Metropolis General Hospital was under attack by a multi-colored humanoid that was trying to kill a running business man. Shayera and Superman immediately leapt into action, going into the teleporter and heading towards Metropolis. Shayera and Superman phased in front of the hospital, where Superman quickly saved the business from the fireball the villain threw at him.

"What are you doing? He did this to me!" cried out the villain. Shayera stood between the multi-colored man and saw a familiar face running behind him. It was Sapphire Stagg, the fiancée of John's military friend.  
"Rex stop!" cried out Sapphire.

"Mason?" called out Shayera, surprised to see that it was Rex Mason that was the multi-colored man.

"Stay out of this Hawkgirl!" cried out Mason.

"Whatever he has done, Mason we can take it to court. There is no need for this violence." said Superman. Mr. Stagg was turned over to the authorities and Mason watched as he and Java were placed in handcuffs.

"How did you-?"

"I called the police you dummy," said Sapphire, "After you kinda blew up I called the cops so they can arrest him. Rex, you're not a killer. Stop."

Shayera and Superman managed to clear up the city. It was surprisingly easy. What was difficult was helping Rex find a way to control his powers better. They teleported Rex and Sapphire with them to the Watchtower where they met up with Batman. Taking a blood sample, Batman and Superman managed to create a simulation where Rex discovered that he had the ability to turn into any type of element. It didn't matter if it was a natural gas or a rare element, Rex was capable of reproducing it. With promise to keep in touch through John, Rex and Sapphire left for their new life in Chicago.

John teleported back to the Watchtower, back from his date and was informed of the events that happened earlier that night. With promise to help his friend, John teleported away to meet with Flash, who was in some form of trouble in Central City. Shayera and Superman resumed their monitoring duties with no delay. It was almost an easy night when Superman got called away to Metropolis to deal with another threat while Shayera waited for J'onn and Diana to show up for their morning shift. Shayera stretched her muscles, groaning that she has a morning shift in the Midway City Police Department when Diana and J'onn finally showed up.

Just as Shayera though was about to leave, a disturbing missive was sent through the Watchtower Computers. Lantern and Flash disappeared along with half of Central City. Shayera called in Commissioner Emmett and urged him to contact the Central City Police Department, to see what happened while Shayera accompanied J'onn and Diana to Central City to investigate in the Javelin.

"How long ago was the last transmission you had with Lantern and Flash?" asked J'onn.

"A little over five hours ago," yawned Shayera, fighting her exhaustion, "They needed information about missing atomic codes and a talking gorilla of all things."

"Look." pointed Diana, as they flew over Central City and began to near the crater. Shayera was suddenly wide-awake as she looked at the crater. She didn't have time to worry though when the Javelin gave the warning signal that they were about to impact. Diana and Shayera looked around to try and find what they were about to hit when the Javelin suddenly struck an invisible wall. J'onn phased out of the Javelin and went underneath to save the ship and occupants from a fiery death. His super strength allowed him to gently land the Javelin while Diana put down the landing gear. Shayera and Diana walked out to meet with J'onn in order to find out what the invisible wall is and why there is one to begin with. While Diana and J'onn investigated, Shayera called in Batman and informed him of the situation.

"Scan the wall," ordered Batman, "use the scanner I gave you last week to give me a proper analysis."

Shayera took out a small palm-sized scanner. She only had to point and press a button for it to scan the invisible wall in front of her. She heard the click that confirmed the analysis was sent and resumed her search. She tentatively touched the wall in front of her and was immediately forced back.

"A shock?" asked Diana.

"No, it's more like energy," explained Shayera, "It didn't cause pain but it definitely pushed me to turn around."

"Do you think the rest of Central City is behind the wall?" asked Diana.

"It may very well be possible," said J'onn, "I cannot sense anything but it could just be the wall that is preventing me from feeling them."

"Shayera, call the Central City Police Department. Tell them that it is very possible that the people who have disappeared are very much alive." said J'onn. While Shayera called Emmett, Diana received a call from Batman.

"Diana, why is Shayera not responding?" ordered Batman.

"She is currently informing the Police Department that Central City may not have lost half their population." informed Diana.

"You and the others need to meet me in Africa." ordered Batman.

"Africa? Why all the way to the otherside of the world?" asked Diana.

"I found a similar energy source there." said Batman.

As the trio entered the Javelin, Shayera removed her mask and rubbed her eyes, trying to remain awake. It was exhausting but Shayera needed to know if Lantern and Flash were alive. It will be a sad and lonely Earth if she didn't have her bar buddies with her. That, and Mari will kill her if she didn't find a way to save John.

When they arrived to Africa it was almost sunset and Shayera was half-tempted to strap herself to the Javelin's wings in order to have the winds wake her up. When they landed, they greeted Batman in a remote location in the plains. A huge mountain was in front of them and Shayera touched it, experiencing the same energy she felt back in Central City.

Just as they were about to continue with their investigation though, the mountain shimmered. They watched in awe as a city was in front of them suddenly. A city that was more futuristic than Metropolis if such a thing existed. They didn't have time to admire however, as they were suddenly held at gunpoint by… gorillas.

"You know," said Shayera as they all sat in their cell, "I thought I could handle whatever Earth threw at me, but if talking gorillas was something that even you, Bruce, didn't know about, then I honestly feel very small right now in this planet."

"The Absorbascon didn't pick up any of this?" questioned Bruce.

"Nope. Their technology is the second that I've seen that is capable of bypassing the Absorbascon." explained Shayera.

"What was the first?" asked Bruce. Shayera didn't have time to explain when a large gorilla with a scar running down his right eye entered.

"I want to know how you managed to discover Gorilla City. I want to know who you are working for." he demanded.  
"A talking gorilla was found in one of our cities and managed to make half the city disappear. I want to know why you sent him to attack us." demanded Shayera. Of course, much of what she was saying is guesswork but it got the reaction she wanted.  
"What? We never sent anyone to attack any of your cities. We want to know if you know of someone named Grodd." ordered the gorilla.  
"There was a talking gorilla," said Shayera, "If that is Grodd then I can assume he is a criminal by the way you are asking."

"You're not wrong," said the gorilla, "he has been making plans to destroy Gorilla City and I fear that he has found a way to do so."

"Let us go, and we can help you." said Shayera. It took a while to gain their trust but they eventually gained it just in time. Three nuclear warheads were headed towards Gorilla City and Shayera, J'onn and Diana went into action. J'onn phased through the first bomb, dismantling it from the inside so it fell useless to the ground, the detonator crushed in his hands. Diana redirected the second missile towards the ground, punching a hole through and ripping out its detonator as well, letting the bomb fall to pieces. Shayera used her mace to tear open a hole and rip apart the insides with her talon hand, the bomb falling just on the outskirts of the city. They reunited at the entrance of the city in time to see John and Flash greet them with a silver gorilla and braindead gorilla.

The Justice League and Gorilla City created an alliance that day, with Grodd in a safe habitat. With Central City restored and the League hailed as heroes, Shayera almost fell asleep standing up when Bruce gently guided her to the Javelin. When they reached the Watchtower, Bruce told the others that he was escorting Shayera back, seeing as how she could barely stand on two legs. They teleported back to Gotham where Bruce called in the Batmobile and drove Shayera back to Wayne Manor. They arrived just at the stroke of midnight where Alfred led a weary Shayera to the guestroom while Bruce went out for patrol with Batgirl and Bluebird, the trio unaware of a man in a red hood watching from a distance.

 **Hey readers, I hope you liked the chapter. I kind of squeezed in two episodes because (I will be honest) they are not my favorite episodes so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I finished re-watching Under the Red Hood and I decided that the next chapter, Shayera will meet Jason :) thankyou for reading and leave reviews :)**


	23. His Name Was Jason

_**His Name Was Jason**_

 _Shayera_

Shayera awoke from her mandatory sleep with new energy, despite the fact that only two hours had passed. Brushing aside Alfred's worries and , Shayera left the cave and proceeded to fly towards Gotham to bid Bruce a goodnight before heading back to Midway. Mavis and David were putting on display a new Industrial Revolution exhibit and Shayera was excited to see the artifacts. Living in a museum had actually sparked a desire in Shayera, prompting her to buy books on history and a need to learn more. She refuses to use the Absorbascon to learn about history and was slowly learning more and more from the basic history that she had learned when she had crash-landed on Earth. Wouldn't her mother, the archeologist, be proud?

As she flew over the thick forest, she never noticed the dark red hooded figure silently following her in a motorcycle, blending in the traffic so she didn't suspect him. As the city came into view, Shayera flew higher until she was at least a few miles above the city, to make sure that the people of Gotham didn't see her. She knew how antsy Bruce gets about having other heroes show up unannounced or without him by their side in Gotham.

Shayera respected Bruce's territorial instincts, having her own instincts about Midway City. It might drive the others a little crazy, but it made sense to Shayera and it made her happy that she wasn't the only one in the team to have territorial instincts. After all, Midway City is her home and the people have adopted her as one of their own as well. It was a primitive instinct that Thanagarians have never evolved from. The need to defend and fight for home was engraved deep in Thanagar's DNA, despite obviously evolving into a more advanced species. It was common to see clan names engraved into the outpost of a family's home, the name Hol engraved in outposts to tell others that the territory belonged to her family. Shayera viewed Midway City as her aerie, it is her home and the people living in the city were her people to defend and fight for. She didn't need to engrave her name on any outpost as her name is often featured in the newspapers. It is an instinct that she isn't comfortable sharing with the others. She isn't sure if they would understand or not so she never talks about it to them, but perhaps one day she will explain to Bruce about her instincts. As she flew overhead, she clicked on the comm-link and attempted to communicate with Bruce. Static.

Frowning, Shayera settled on top of the New Trigate Bridge and tried again. Nothing but static again. Shayera removed her mask and took the communicator out of her ear to examine it. Nothing was wrong with it as far as she could tell. Shayera decided to just head towards Midway in order to figure out what was wrong. As she turned towards Midway, a glowing sphere was suddenly latched onto her left side. Turning in surprise, Shayera tried to unlatch it but it burst a series of bright lights into her face and she cried out in surprise. Shayera stumbled and almost fell off the bridge, feeling herself leaning over the edge and immediately backed away from the edge. She blinked hard, trying to stop the spots from taking over her vision. Whoever this criminal was, they did their homework. The lights wouldn't have bothered her so much because of the lenses in her mask, but these lights were bright enough to penetrate through them.

Reaching for her mace, Shayera heard someone run up behind her and flared her wings in an attempt to push the assailant back. She heard a grunt but then a sharp object impaled into her right wing, dragging her down. She felt her mace slip out of her hands as she hit the ground and heard her assailant get up. Her feral instincts kicked in, when she didn't want it. Feeling adrenaline pump through her veins and her instincts taking over, Shayera felt herself unleash the talon hand on the unsuspecting assailant. His cry of shock told her that if she timed it well, she might escape into the city and try to locate Bruce. Shayera gave a war cry and proceeded to try and swipe the young masked man. Who is he?

He wore a red mask-like helmet that shone in the light and wore a leather jacket, with jeans and combat boots. His utility belt though resembled much like Batman's belt and Shayera didn't doubt that whoever this young man is, he probably had the same arsenal as Batman. Shayera twisted out of his reach and slammed her shoulder into his chest, causing him to topple back. Quickly glancing around, she grabbed her mace and noticed the fire escape, quickly ran towards it. Her right wing throbbed in pain as she kept it folded against her body, not wanting to make the tear even bigger. As she neared the fire escape, a whip wrapped around her foot, causing her to fall. She turned to see a woman in all black leather, with a pointed cat ears cowl and goggles, smirk at her. Shayera blinked in surprise to see this new player but didn't think much as she pulled on the whip, forcing the woman to relinquish her weapon. Shayera quickly threw the whip over the side of the bridge and proceeded to launch herself onto the roof of the building across from her. She didn't have the most graceful landing, but she had an added little time to get away and search for Bruce.

As Shayera ran, she heard running footsteps behind her and stopped to fight back. She managed to land a punch on the helmet, but it did nothing to faze him as he whipped out a Taser and shocked her. Her high tolerance for electricity gave her the advantage to surprise him and she again punched him, this time she managed to knock him down but not out. As Shayera tried to double back and run, the whip-lady had returned. This time, instead of using the whip to restrain Shayera she used it to harm her. It was fortunate that Shayera had her armor, but she still blocked the attacks in an effort to grab the whip out of her hands. The woman proved to be a quick learner however and made sure to bring her whip back for faster attacks. Shayera hoped though that she can somehow still make an escape. Hearing the young man run from behind her, Shayera flared out her left wing and flapped hard, mace in hand in order to deliver a blow from above. She launched herself at a strange angle in the air but it got her away from the attempted attack from behind. Unfortunately, it made her vulnerable to the cat woman's whip. The whip wrapped around her leg and Shayera was slammed down to the ground where the red hooded man managed to get up from behind her and use an injector on her from underneath her mask. He knew about her weak point in her armor, somehow he knew along with the dosage needed to sedate her. It was the last thought Shayera had as she fell to the sedative, her mace falling from her clutching hand. This… man… knows too much about her… _how_?

 _Bruce_

Bruce was near crime alley when he received an alarming call from Bluebird about her surveillance check. He stood up high in the building, overlooking the streets as he listened to what Harper discovered.

"It's your girlfriend, Hawkgirl-," she began before Bruce cut her off, "-She's not my girlfriend."

"Fine, your not-girlfriend-but-we-know-she's-something-to-you friend, Hawkgirl," said Harper, knowing Bruce was probably glaring at her from the other side of Gotham, "Is fighting somebody near the Trigate Bridge."

"Who is it?" asked Bruce, immediately heading towards the bridge to help Shayera. He should have sedated her to keep her in bed; it has only been two hours of rest and already this woman was up and running into battle.

"I don't know… he's wearing a red hood and he has someone helping him… it's Catwoman!"

Bruce froze but quickly snapped out of it. Selina was back? It has been over six years since he last saw her, her leaving Gotham in an effort to make her own fortunes. He had originally proposed to her six years ago but she turned him down, claiming to be a woman who can never be tied down. What was she doing back in Gotham? Is she just passing by and what business did she have to attack Hawkgirl? As Bruce grappled, Harper was giving him the rundown on what she was witnessing.

"She's hurt in her right wing, but she's still fighting… oh wow, do you think she can teach me how to do that? That looks like it must have hurt. Catwoman is trying to catch her for this guy… why is she doing this? Does he have something on her?"

Bruce didn't answer but it was a really good question. What did this Red Hood have over Selina, the Mistress of Blackmail? Bruce continued in his journey as Harper continued to narrate what she is witnessing, "Batman you have to let her teach me those moves! Oh… Batman, hurry! She's managed to make it towards a building directly in front of the bridge but her wing can't take her far and Catwoman just got her whip back! She's… they have her down! Batman, the Red Hood just injected her with something!"

Bruce pushed himself harder, needing to reach the building in time. He was scolding Shayera in his head, her brashness putting her in danger. It rarely happens, but Bruce knows that in the business of being a hero they should never allow their defenses to be low.

"Batman! They took her! I can't see where Hood is taking her, he's not showing up in any of the surveillance! You can still catch Catwoman though! She's not leaving the building."

Batman finally reached the building, not seeing the Red Hood or Shayera anywhere; Bruce quickly made his way to the roof and only managed to avoid Selina's roundhouse kick. He quickly apprehended her but Selina never made things easy for him. Using her natural flexibility, she managed to wriggle free and tried to knock Bruce down. Quickly anticipating her move, Bruce brought out his grappling gun and fired, quickly whipping it around Selina before she brought out her own whip and constricting her.

"Ouch, Bruce! Relax, I'm not going anywhere." said Selina. Bruce however narrowed his eyes at her, not feeling the mood to join in on her game. Shayera was somewhere God knows where with an unidentified villain who wants who knows what with her.

"I'm not playing games Selina," growled Bruce, "Who are you working for?"

"Still going straight to business I see," murmured Selina, noticing the way Bruce was stiff and rigid. He must still be sore about her rejection to his proposal six years ago. Selina looked at him and noticed how he hardly changed over the years, except for the scowl on his face. He was normally more neutral around her but she realized that while he physically looked the same, he wasn't the same on the inside.

"Who is he Selina?" demanded Bruce, frustrated at how she hasn't answered him yet. Every minute wasted will allow the Red Hood man to get farther away from them with Shayera.

"Don't know," replied Selina coolly, "He had video of me that I needed gone and I worked with him. I don't know why you are getting so worked up over it. I thought you didn't like having others encroaching on 'your city'."

"Times have changed Selina," said Bruce, "You'd have known if you had stuck around."

Yep. He was still sore. Selina though knew he will get over it and things will go back like the old times. They always had fights and they always managed to move on from them. Six years in Europe means nothing when they have history. Selina walked seductively towards Bruce and said, "He only wants questions Bruce, she'll be fine."

"Where has he taken her, Selina? I told you, I'm not playing games." growled Bruce a little louder. He spotted the mace a few feet away from him and went to retrieve it, in order to return it to Shayera once he found her. Selina blinked in surprise at his words and took a step back, realizing that Bruce was close to snapping.

"Somewhere in a building outside of Gotham near the docks," said Selina, "he's in an abandoned warehouse."

"Do you know why he needed Shayera?" asked Bruce.

"Shayera? Is that her name? He never said why, just told me to help him restrain her." said Selina. With that, she watched as Bruce turned around and proceeded to head towards the docks. Selina didn't think and followed him, wanting to see what exactly was going on. So much has changed apparently and she needed to know what the new dynamics are if she ever had a chance to navigate through Gotham. This Shayera woman clearly meant more to Bruce than he was letting on and Selina couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy at the thought.

Bruce tapped into his communicator and began to speak with Harper and Barbara, "I need you two to continue your patrols around the city."

"Don't you need backup, boss?" asked Harper, "What if Catwoman tries to double-cross you?"

"I can handle her," assured Bruce, hearing Selina scoff behind him, "just go about on your patrols unless I say otherwise."

"Will do," said Barbara with Harper only snorting on the other end. Bruce hung up and called on the jet, needing to have an advantage over this Red Hood character and needing to keep an eye on Selina, who he knew will be insistent on tagging along. Bruce heard the engines roar above him and saw the jet hover over him, waiting for his boarding. Using his grappler while Selina used her whip, they both boarded the jet and made their way to the docks.

 _Shayera_

Shayera had woken up about five minutes after she had been knocked out, tied up in industrial chains in the back of a moving van. She still felt the effects of the sedatives so there wasn't any chance she had to escape from her captor. He was driving and Shayera decided to remain silent for now in order to gain back her strength. Based from what she could see through the windshield, they were nearing the docks based on the cranes she has seen on passing whenever she visited Gotham. As Shayera tried to test her strength, she felt the van pull up somewhere. The moonlight was gone and they were now inside a building.

The Red Hood man left the driver's seat and Shayera heard him walk around the van to open the backdoor. She looked at him and he looked at her. It was a strange staring contest that developed between them. Not sure what to do, Shayera said, "You know this isn't really the best way to pick up girls, right?"

"You're going to help me find someone." said the Red Hood. Shayera tilted her head and asked, "You could have just asked."

"Could I?" taunted Red Hood, "Tell me where Harley Quinn is."

Now Shayera sees the problem. She knows of course where Harley is. Harley still won't shut up about how boring Belle Reve is on most nights when she talked with Shayera. Shayera narrowed her eyes at Hood and asked, "Why?"

"If I told you, you'd snitch to the Bat." said the Hood with such ferocity in his voice when he mentioned Bruce. Shayera wondered what the connection was and proceeded to try her hand in using Bruce's method of interrogation.

"So you want to know about Harley because you want Batman?" asked Shayera.

"What? You're stupid," said the Red Hood, "I want her to get to the Joker." Well she didn't expect this at least. Shayera blinked and asked, "What makes you so sure that Harley knows where the Joker is?"

"She's his whore," snarled the Red Hood, "She'll bend over and take it with just one word from him. She's the closest thing he has to somebody to care."

"The Joker?!" asked Shayera disbelievingly. This kid needed serious help if he thought the Joker cared about anyone other than himself, "What do you want with him?"

"That's my business, now where is Harley Quinn?" asked Red Hood.

"What makes you so sure that I know where she is?" asked Shayera, wondering how this guy was getting his information.

"I've seen through the surveillance cameras around the city," said Red Hood, "you and the Bat did a pretty good job scrambling the system, but I'm not the Gotham PD or the Rogues. Where is Harley Quinn?"

"You're an idiot if you think Harley even knows where Joker is. They had a falling out years ago." said Shayera, glaring at the Red Hood. He only sat back on his heels and stared at her while she stared back. This man was not somebody who looked like she can negotiate out of if his insane intentions were to seek out the Joker. As far as Shayera knew, the clown was laying low for a while after his last defeat from Bruce's hands.

"Then you might know then darling," said Red Hood as he brought out a hunting knife from its sheathe. Shayera narrowed her eyes at him, not even intimidated by the knife. Shayera has obviously suffered through most wounds so whatever he throws at her will be nothing.

"Also, no. If you wanted the Joker, then you should have tried bringing this up with Batman." said Shayera, watching as not only did he get frustrated but angry based on his body language. Shayera could feel the last of the sedatives wear off but continued to play neutral so she can have the upper hand when the time comes. Her wing had healed and it wasn't in pain anymore, so Shayera needed to bide her time until she can fly away. Red Hood backed away and snarled, "As though I need the Bats help. He doesn't do anything for this city! I'm going to fix it by doing what he should have done a long time ago."

By then, a large humming was heard outside, causing the Red Hood to turn around to see who was joining and Shayera immediately knew that it was the Bat-Jet. Using her strength, she used Red Hood's distraction as her chance to break free from the chains, and quickly flew out of the van and hearing the Red Hood cry out, "NO!"

Shayera flew high above the Red Hood in the warehouse and made her way out of the building. Shayera saw Bruce leave the jet on autopilot and he leaped out to greet her. Her good mood was dashed though when she saw the same cat lady jump out after him. Shayera felt fury burn in her and felt the ferality nature almost take over. She quickly gained control, but she didn't stop herself from asking Bruce, "And who is she?"

Bruce turned to see Selina lean against the warehouse wall, and said, "This is Catwoman. She's a friend."

"Friend? She helped that psycho kidnap me!" cried out Shayera, wishing that she had her mace so she can bash in the smug woman's face. Bruce knew he made the right in not giving Shayera her mace back after seeing her look of rage on her face. He knows about Shayera's feral nature and decided it was best for the moment to leave her almost weaponless; she still had her talon hand after all. Shayera wanted to crush that woman and keep her away from Bruce. Bruce is _her mate_ … whoa… where did that thought come from? Shayera knew her growing feelings for Bruce were there, but to have such a possessive thought come across her mind was something that she hasn't experienced.

"Where is he?" asked Bruce.

"Up here." said the Red Hood and the three looked up to see the Red Hood on top of the building with a large rocket launcher aimed at them. Quickly grabbing onto Bruce and the Catwoman from behind, Shayera flew up in the air to avoid the incoming missile, the blast actually creating a heat wave that helped Shayera soar above the Hood. Shayera felt Bruce brace and threw him and Catwoman towards the Red Hood for battle. She heard Catwoman give a cry of surprise and fear and smirked, watching as the woman quickly readjusted herself so she can land on the building gracefully. Shayera remained up high and waited as she watched Bruce and Catwoman fight the Red Hood. Seeing her opening, Shayera spread her wings for an extra push before folding them to her body and dive bombing towards the Red Hood. Using his distraction, she unleashed her talon hand managed to tear away his mask, surprising him as Bruce quickly delivered the knockout blow and knocked him unconscious face first to the ground.

Shayera flew down next to Bruce just as he turned the Red Hood over, getting a good look at his face.

"No," whispered Bruce, standing up abruptly and backing away. Shayera saw for the first time a look of horror and uneasiness pass through Bruce. She looked down at the Red Hood and saw the face of a young adult, somebody who can be no older than Tim by maybe two years. Shayera saw that he had red hair much like hers and a white streak on the front of his hairline. She looked at Bruce again to see him still staring at the Red Hood.

"Batman?" asked Shayera, "Do you know him?"

He didn't respond. Shayera watched as he continued to look at the young man and turned to Catwoman. Even she was in a state of shock. Shayera didn't know what to make of the situation and decided to remain silent for now. As the Gotham PD arrived, having received a message from Batman earlier on. The sound of the sirens was what snapped Bruce and Catwoman out of their stupor. Shayera was about to reach for the young man to turn him over when she felt Bruce's hand on her shoulder. Turning in surprise, she could read the indecision in his body stance and asked, "What's wrong?"

"He can't be taken in." said Bruce and Shayera was shocked at his words.

"Why?"

"Just… not now." said Bruce. Shayera can hear the strain in his voice and could only hesitate and ask, "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Let him go." was all Bruce said and Shayera blinked in shock at his words. Seeing the distress in his body language though was what helped Shayera make her next decision. Shayera set her mace at its lowing setting, something akin to a low-powered Taser, and shocked the young man awake. He sat up in surprise and jerked around until he was on his two feet. Shocked, the young man touched his face in horror as he stared at Bruce. Shayera only watched and waited to see Bruce allow the young man to escape. She looked at Bruce in confusion and a small form of anger. This man, the same man who upheld justice and honor in high regard, had told her to allow the young man to escape. What was even more surprising was when he jerked his head over to Catwoman to leave.

Catwoman had quickly left and Shayera was happy to see her gone, at least. As Bruce explained to Gordon how the Red Hood had escaped, Shayera remained silent in contemplation until all was resolved. She and Bruce looked at each other hard and she only sighed and tilted her head for answers. Bruce remained silent, unsure as to how to present Shayera with this new information and revelation. How do you explain to someone that you just saw the face of someone who is supposed to be dead?

"I'll explain back at the cave." was all he said as he jumped back into his Jet. Shayera followed him, keeping herself hidden in the clouds so as not to attract unwanted attention. The fly to the cave was silent as Shayera knew that Bruce is in a precarious footing and needed time to himself. Shayera was questioning herself though, wondering why she allowed the young man to get away instead of handing over to the police, why she was feeling more betrayed over his decision in letting the Catwoman get away, and why she (the Detective!) had done so. Was it her feelings for Bruce that made her forget her vows as an officer of the law? If so, Shayera began to doubt herself.

As they entered the Batcave, Shayera flew next to Alfred and waited until Bruce got out of his plane.

Sensing the tension, Alfred could tell when an argument was coming so he served the tea and left as Bruce leapt out of the jet. Shayera waited until he sat down before asking, "Why did you ask me to do that?"

"His name is Jason." said Bruce. Shayera didn't say anything and waited as Bruce continued, "Before Tim, I had taken under my wing a young boy by the name of Jason Todd. He was a promising young man, someone who took on the mantle of Robin very quickly. I love him like a son."

"What happened?" asked Shayera.

"The Joker." was all Bruce had to say for Shayera to understand, "I tried to save him, but I was too late. When I arrived, I found Jason buried under rubble and dead."

Shayera could tell it was getting difficult for Bruce to speak and said, "You don't have to explain Bruce."

"I do, Shayera," he said, "I have asked you to go against your code and I need to explain myself before you think little of me."

"I'd never think little of you Bruce. I may question your motives a little, but I never once thought of you as a petty man." assured Shayera, watching as Bruce relaxed at her words. He turned to her and said, "I need to know how he is back. He was dead in my arms and to see him tonight… I need to know who and why. I also need to find him, to help him. Something's not right with him."

"He was seeking the Joker. The main purpose behind tonight's events was so he can know where Harley is so he can know where the Joker is." said Shayera.

"Is she still in Belle Reve?" asked Bruce.

"Yes, she often complains every other night about the food but she's otherwise fine." said Shayera.

"Good, so long as she stays there then Jason is at a dead end. Do you know what Belle Reve is doing with Harley in there?" asked Bruce.

"Not much," said Shayera, "The only thing Harley could tell me was that she is working with other criminals such as Deadshot and Captain Boomerang. Whatever is in Belle Reve, Waller is keeping a very tight lip about the going on inside the building."

"You said that not even the Absorbascon could hack into the building." said Bruce.

"That is true."

"Does it worry you?" asked Bruce.

"I trust Waller to not do anything devious. I may question her methods of justice but I don't doubt that she is doing things to protect humanity." said Shayera. Bruce was about to call it a night when he noticed Shayera's uncomfortable stance. He looked at her and removed his cowl, prompting Shayera to remove her mask. Their faces were both exposed for one another to be able to read. Bruce looked exhausted and aged while Shayera's was strained and unsure.

"What's wrong?" asked Bruce, quietly and hoping that he didn't sound as neutral as he normally does. Shayera sighed and said, "I'm not going to do that again."

"Do what?"

"Let criminals go again." said Shayera, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I won't expect you to," promised Bruce, "Although you do let Harley go every now and then."

"Harley goes back into prison without me having to ask. We put on a show for Waller so Harley won't get into trouble. What happened tonight Bruce, I don't know what kind of a detective I can be if I allowed myself to let the two go tonight." confessed Shayera. Bruce now saw what was troubling Shayera. She was conflicted about her duties as a detective and her role as a friend to Bruce. Bruce got up from his seat and did something she didn't expect him to do. He hugged her and kept her close to him and he said, "I want to thank you for tonight. You helped me discover that Jason is alive and that he needs my help and I also want to thank you for helping me get over six years of a jilted and bruised ego."

"Your jilted and bruised ego? What does that mean?" chuckled Shayera as she took a deep breath and inhaled Bruce's scent, marking it into her head.

"Six years ago, I had proposed to a woman named Selina Kyle. We had a history that began since I first started as Batman. When the time came when I thought that she felt the same way, I had proposed to her but she rejected me. I thought that it would have been difficult to forget her because we had such a history, but then five years ago an angel fell from the stars and landed into my life." said Bruce, feeling Shayera stiffen a little as she realized he was talking about her, "I didn't think I'd fall for an alien cop who understood me so well."

"And I didn't think I'd fall for the bat-costumed playboy." teased Shayera, feeling Bruce stiffen in shock. They both looked at each, assessing each other's words before a smile played on both their faces. Bruce leaned in as Shayera reached towards him, only being a head shorter than Bruce. Their lips met and the coldness of the cave slipped away as they were surrounded in a warm glow. Bruce actually being surrounded by Shayera's warm wings, her feathered hug keeping him close to herself.

"Ahem." a light cough was heard and Shayera and Bruce broke apart to see Alfred behind them with a small smile on his face. Shayera and Bruce blushed a little and backed away from each other, each smiling more at the feelings they were experiencing rather than getting caught.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow for Monitor Duty?" asked Shayera.

"Yes," smiled Bruce, "I'll be there."

When Shayera had left with another hug, Bruce was left with a smirking butler.

"I knew it." said Alfred.

"You knew nothing." said Bruce.

"Five years watching that friendship grow. That's how long I spent wondering whether or not you two will finally be together. I dare say, Master Richard and Master Tim now owe me around twenty quid." said Alfred. Bruce snorted at his old friend and said, "You all made bets?"

"Miss Barbara and Miss Harper had lost two weeks ago, I told them you'd be together around the time she had first crash-landed into Gotham." said Alfred. Blinking at his words, Bruce looked at the calendar to see that it was indeed close to the anniversary when Shayera had entered Earth. Deciding to do something later, Bruce was about to get ready to go back in patrol when he received a call from J'onn.

"There is an urgent matter at Ajuris 4. We need someone to help us delegate." said J'onn.

"Why not get Diana or Superman?" asked Bruce.

"They are already here but Superman insists in calling in for your services." said J'onn.

"Alright," said Bruce, "Who else is coming along?"

"Flash and I will be joining you. Lantern is currently in an off world mission and will meet us along the way. We decided to leave Hawkgirl behind to man the Watchtower." said J'onn.

"Does she know?" asked Batman.

"She is on her way back to Midway to fill in a night shift in order to be here in the morning," said J'onn, "Flash has left Javelin 3 on top of the Midway Police Department so she can reach the Watchtower."

"Alright, bring me up." said Bruce and he felt the familiar feelings of the zeta-beam take him up to the Watchtower.

Shayera was currently organizing her attic, wanting to leave it clean before she had to make it to the Watchtower in a few hours. Another all nighter for her and Shayera knew that eventually she'll be considered more bat than Bruce. As Shayera was about to leave, her senses were on high alert and she managed to stop Catwoman from hitting her with a roundhouse kick.

"Stay away from him." threatened Catwoman. Shayera sneered at her and said, "Selina Kyle I presume? What makes you think I'd listen to whatever you have to say?"

"I know him," said Selina, "and I know that his relationships never last long."

"No, his relationship with you only ended because you decided to leave him." said Shayera. Selina sneered at Shayera and said, "I know him and I know that-"

"You were gone for six years. I've been there for him for five. If you think I'd let some declawed cat come into my home, my city, my territory, and my mate's home then you have another thing coming!" snarled Shayera. Selina blinked as she saw the eyes dilate into a predator's slit. She called Bruce her mate and Selina knew from following the news that Hawkgirl was from another world. Did she see Bruce as her mate then? As a life partner?

"Get out of my aerie!" snarled Shayera, her feral instincts once again taking over. As she watched Catwoman leave, Shayera calmed down. This new instinct was overwhelming. It was taking over her senses gradually and she needed to find a way to contain them. She wasn't sure what Bruce will think about it, but she needed help. There wasn't any Thanagarians around to help her so much of what she knows is based on hearing from other people. She needed to know things now before things got out of hand. Flying out, Shayera began to perform her shift before morning as Bruce left towards Ajuris 4 with almost the entire team, all unaware of the immortal who was currently changing time.

 _ **Hey readers, so its finals week! Yay! Kill me! I decided to upload this now before my brain turns to mush. Hope you liked the chapter :) up next, A Savage Time.**_


	24. The Savage Time

_**The Savage Time**_

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, J'onn J'onzz, and John Stewart were making their way back to Earth after their mission acting as Delegates in Ajuris 4, the whole team with the exception of John sat in the Javelin and patiently waited as John pulled them back towards Earth. The Javelin had gone through a malfunction thanks to the Flash's inability to read directions and Shayera, after completing her shift in the Midway City Police Department, was waiting for them at the Watchtower to help in the repairs.

"You're all lucky I was available to be at hand at the last minute," said John as he flew effortlessly through space outside the Javelin and pulled the others towards Earth.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," dismissed Flash, already tired of being in space, "How long does it take to get back anyways?"

"How about you stay quiet after I already told you that we're almost there?" said John, keeping his temper in check, "my ring is almost out of power so I'm going as fast as I can."

The League waited for about five more minutes when the Watchtower along with Earth appeared in view. Bruce was just relieved to be back home after leaving Barbara, Harper, and Dick in charge of Gotham. Tim was still in California with the other Titans so Bruce left him be. Thoughts about returning home to Shayera actually gave him a sense of peace and relaxation that he almost believed was impossible to have as the Batman. So euphoric were his emotions that it was difficult for J'onn to not hear. J'onn never thought that there was something stirring between Batman and Hawkgirl, the two being so professional around the others and very quiet on some occasions. If J'onn hadn't made it a point to not listen to the others' minds, he never would have known. The feelings of serenity were almost very foreign when it came to Batman so J'onn was very much curious to see what brought about these feelings to Batman. J'onn could feel the love and the tenderness come from Batman and it honestly didn't take a mind reader to know just how caring Hawkgirl is. J'onn looked at the back of Batman and knew that he at least deserved some form of light in his otherwise dark world.

Flash meanwhile was just relieved to be back home and was happy that he had monitor duty with Shayera, needing someone to complain to after the boring mission. In his excitement he pressed on the communicator of the Javelin to hook up to the Watchtower and Shayera answered.

"Hawkgirl here, is everybody ok?"

"Hey cookie." responded Flash.

"What did you decide that Diana was a lost cause and that left me available?" asked Shayera through the communicator. Although they can't see her, they knew she was smiling in amusement at Flash's antics.

"Come on Shay," teased Flash, "you know you can't resist me." The instant flare of anger and annoyance that came from Batman surprised J'onn but it went away quickly, Batman knowing that Flash was only playing.

"As if," scoffed Shayera, "Go back to flirting with Diana."

"I believe the term is 'taking one for the team' Shayera," interjected Diana. They heard Shayera snort from the communicator and said, "Listen Diana, if you can't handle Flash's flirts then yo-"

Static filled the communication and everybody looked at it confused. Flash pressed the button again and said, "Shay? Shayera can you hear me?"

"Something's wrong." said J'onn as he pointed outside the window of the Javelin. A yellow ripple began to shine around the Earth before it blasted towards them.

"Hold on," ordered John as he held the shop in his grip with his ring. The yellow ripple moved around them, giving everybody a slight feeling of nauseousness until the ripple finally passed. They looked at the Earth and to their shock, the Watchtower was gone.

"Shayera!" called out Flash into the communicator but only static was heard. Bruce shoved Flash to the side and pressed the buttons harder, calling out harshly, "Shayera! Answer us this minute!"

Silence was met and everybody glanced at each other nervously. John called to them, "I'm going to land us in Metropolis to get to the bottom of this."

It was a few minutes, the urgency of the matter pushing John to quickly land them in the middle of Hero Park so they could investigate what happened to the Watchtower and where Hawkgirl went. Bruce was tense and angry, J'onn feeling his emotions switch rapidly from anger to worry to contemplative, already making plans in his head for many worst case scenarios. This was one of the many reasons why J'onn felt secure knowing Batman was on their side. Each worst case scenario had a plan and if anything were to happen Batman was already prepared and J'onn was ready to take action.

They managed to reach Metropolis and they were met with an entirely different Metropolis. Instead of the futuristic architecture that defined Metropolis, all the buildings were yellow and black with red and black banners all over the city. Bruce stared at the banners and couldn't help but feel that he had seen them somewhere before. As they left the Javelin, they looked around the city in wonderment and confusion. Where was Metropolis? Where did they land? Bruce could only narrow his eyes and order, "Everybody, we need to investigate what happened. Flash and John, go to the other cities and see if anything familiar has stayed. J'onn go through the city, try to find out information about this place. Superman, Diana, and I need to fly above the city and try to find out who's in charge."

Flash zoomed away from the group and John flew up and away, intending to investigate the other cities while J'onn phased through the buildings to try and find information. Superman, Diana, and Batman split up to figure out who the one in charge is, but Bruce had another mission in mind. As each team member was about to split up, they were surrounded quickly by armed men.

"FREEZE!" the leader cried out, "BY ORDER OF LORD SAVAGE, YOU ARE ALL PLACED UNDER ARREST."

"By what counts?" asked Flash.

"Walking about without identification and wearing suspicious attire not included in the handbook." said the leader of the armed men. Superman had actually been surprised when they had shown up out of nowhere, completely unsure how they were able to sneak up on him when he had his hearing sent out to the whole world in order to find Shayera and other familiar people.

"Who's Lord Savage?" questioned Diana. Whatever answer that might have been provided to her was interrupted when a smoke grenade came from nowhere and bursted in between the League and the officers.

"HEY! MOVE IT NOW!" cried out a female voice. They turned to see a sewer cover opened and a woman with a gas mask on motioning them to follow her. With no hesitation, the League immediately followed her and Superman even used his heat vision to melt the sewer cover shut so they can't be followed. The woman raced into a subway car and they followed her where she immediately began to drive the car away from their location. The speed knocked the heroes off their feet and pushed back into the car as their bodies attempted to get used to the speed.

"Who's hand is that?" asked Diana and Superman quickly moved his hand once he realized it was his and sheepishly apologized, "Sorry."

"Who are you?" asked Batman, getting right down to business. Although they had been rescued by this woman, he had no idea who she is. The woman turned around and removed her mask, Batman seeing the face of a battle-weary Kendra Saunders-Grubs. Recognizing her as Shayera's partner in the Midway City Police Department, Bruce asked, "Where's Hawkgirl?"

"Who?" asked Kendra, confused at his words.

"You know," said Flash, "red-head with a kick-ass attitude, wings, and a huge honking mace to put anyone down on the ground."

"Is she a friend of yours?" asked Kendra and Bruce quickly deduced that they were not in their world at all.

"What world is this?" asked Diana. Kendra blinked in surprise at her words and said, "It's better if we wait until we reach headquarters. We need to be on lockdown fast before we have any form of safety."

The ride was silent, the hours passing by silently as they twisted and turned around the underground systems, losing the military police behind them. Bruce noted that the woman in front of him was not the easy-going person Shayera had described to him. Whatever war they had been transported to, it had obviously taken its toll on her. When the train began to slow down, it looked like they were about to crash head-on into the brick wall but it lifted and allowed them to pass by safely while it closed behind them. As they slowed down, the League was met with the sight of black-ops dressed people as they walked around going about their own business. Kendra walked out of the train and the League followed her as she took them to a room, instructing gawkers to continue their business.

As they entered the room, they were met with four other people in the room. Bruce was able to identify George Emmett, Lois Lane, Amanda Waller, and Barbara Gordon in the group but he kept silent, not knowing the situation yet.

"So, where did you lot come from? You're all lucky I was out doing a reconnaissance mission when I ran into you lot." said Kendra.

"We're of this Earth and yet not this one." said J'onn, having already read their minds and determined the situation at hand.

"What do you mean?" asked Barbara, her uniform an urban camouflage and her hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Your history is not the same as ours." explained J'onn. The others looked at him as he continued to explain, "Our history is similar up until the point of World War 2 when a man named Vandal Savage won the war for Nazi Germany."

"What?" asked Superman, shocked.

"History has been rewritten." explained J'onn.

"Excuse me?" asked Kendra, "What are you talking about?"

"In our timeline, the Allies had won World War 2 and put an end to Nazi Germany's tyranny." explained Bruce, "It seems that losing the war had changed everything dramatically."

"Are you saying that everything that is happening right now can be changed?" asked Kendra, a small form of hope in her voice.

"No," explained Barbara, "Because he messed with the timelines, ours now exist as an alternate world while their world is still intact."

"Is there anyway to get back to our timeline then?" asked Flash.

"If we get back to the point where Savage has entered the timeline, then you can find your way back to your world." explained Barbara.

"Savage has his headquarters based in Gotham, fighting someone who goes by the codename The Bat." explained Waller. The League looked at Batman simultaneously and he responded, "Then let's meet him."

"Wait," said Lois Lane, stepping up into the group, "You're seriously considering breaking into Savage's Headquarters?"

"We have a missing friend and a world to return to. If breaking into Savage's headquarters is what gets us there, then so be it." said Diana.

"This might make Savage go after us even harder." said Emmet.

"At this point, Uncle," said Kendra, "This might help us. We've been idly standing by just trying to survive. Let's show Savage we really mean business."

It took two days to plan. It was tedious because it was basically a small militia versus Savage's World Army. Bruce was confident though that with Superman, Diana, Lantern, and J'onn then they had a large chance to succeed. As they arrived in Gotham, right underneath the building they were going to assault, everybody waited in the train carriage as Waller stepped out in the abandoned subway in order to make the meeting with The Bat. The lights flickered and emerging from the shadows came a different Batman. He still wore the cowl but he had on a large trench coat and a pair of aviator goggles on his head. He looked older, more grisly. Behind him stood a man with red hair. He was lean and had blue eyes that were almost electric. He stood by leaning against the wall but he remained wary as The Bat approached Waller as the others stayed behind.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" questioned The Bat. Waller had told him about the plan two days ago and quickly grabbed all his allies in order to help them. He much preferred sneaking in and obtaining what they needed, but Waller had insisted that a full frontal attack would be better because no one will expect it from them. Waller had also insisted that he bring his allies so she could show hers as well in order for them to establish a base of comradery. The Bat only allowed Wally West to be visible while Waller said she'll bring in a few. As he looked behind her he was greeted with the sight of another man dressed as a bat like he is.

"Who is that?" he asked quietly, a slight threat underneath his tones.

"It's you from another universe." said Waller and she watched as his eyes widened. Waller motioned for the others to come out of the subway carriage. Batman stepped out first, knowing that his counterpart will not want to waste time.

"State your business." said The Bat.

"We need to return to our universe. Before we do, we want to know just how many allies you have on hand." said Bruce.

"Wally West here is the only meta-human in the world that can move faster than instant teleportation." said The Bat.

"I can do that?" wondered Flash out loud, forgetting that there were people present. Superman could only facepalm while Bruce only narrowed his eyes slightly. The alternate Wally West however looked at Flash with interest and asked, "You're me?"

"Well… yeah. In my universe they call me The Flash." explained Flash, "But I didn't know I could move that fast."

"I'd be careful," warned Alternate Wally, "You're right at the edge of the speed force going that fast, so if you do go that fast I'd slow down quickly."

"I'll keep it in mind." said Flash.  
"Why do you ask about our allies?" asked The Bat.

"I want to know if you know of anyone named Superman or Wonder Woman." asked Bruce.

"No. Who are they?" asked The Bat.

"In our world, Superman is a man from the planet Krypton and Wonder Woman is from the Amazonian island, Themyscira." explained Bruce.

"Oh? Diana?" asked Alternate Wally, "She and her sisters are with us back at our base."

Bruce felt Diana sag a little with relief at his words. The Bat however said, "We never met a man from Krypton."

"Then we can assume that Superman's alternate self is either in hiding or Savage has his hands on him." said Bruce.

"Well… there was an invasion years ago I remember. Savage's forces held them off but we lost a good portion of the population along the way. About a quarter of the world has been spared and even then, they were chosen by Savage as his 'chosen people'." said Alternate Wally.

"Then we can assume that J'onn's alternative self is also in Savage's hands." said Diana.

"What about a John Stewart?" asked Lantern.

"If you're talking about yourself, I'm sorry to say but most-if not all-African or people with dark skin color has been terminated by Savage's forces. Waller is one of the last few African Americans left in the remnants of what used to be the United States." said The Bat. John felt his fists tighten up in anger and turned away angrily so he can calm down. The others too felt his anger and knew that they needed to help these people first before they left.

"How about a woman with wings?" asked Superman. The Bat and Flash glanced at each other before The Bat said, "We've managed to infiltrate Savage's security files and have discovered someone by that description kept in the lower dungeons. From what we've seen in the files, they are attempting to re-educate her."

Bruce felt his fists ball up in anger but knew that being angry will not do him any good. He wondered if the Alternate will hold up but knew they needed to move fast now.

"Let's head to the base and make our way." said Kendra, taking lead. The Bat motioned for his allies to step out of the shadows and out stepped a man in green with a bow and arrow, a blonde with fishnet stockings, and an alternate Diana with a sword and shield in hand while she wore Greek armor. Everybody followed The Bat up to the basement level of the building, quickly disabling the guards and the security systems. Bruce had his own mission in mind and kept an eye out for anything that looked like a cell. If The Bat was telling the truth about Shayera being held in the dungeons then she should be here. As the battle raged on, he finally found the door. It was hastily shut, which meant that it wasn't closed properly for the locks to hold it in place. Bruce quietly stepped in and heard a man frantically cursing.

Bruce noticed him pressing a series of buttons on a computer keyboard and waited to see what happens next. As soon as the man finished, the walls slid open to reveal alternate Clark Kent, J'onn J'onzz, and Shayera in their own incubation pods.

"Years of work down the drain for nothing." cursed the man and Bruce made his move before he did anything rash. With the man unconscious, Bruce quickly moved to the keyboard to wake them up. It took only a minute for him to decode the security but when he did, the Alternate Superman was the first to wake up and he was not happy. The doors flew off and hit the wall, shattering the door to glass and twisted metal. Bruce had his hand on his emergency kryptonite ready but watched as Alternate Clark struggled to walk around. Alternate Shayera was next to wake up but unlike Clark's inhuman strength, she only managed to kick the door off its hinges while she walked around, still drugged. The Alternate J'onn was the quickest to recover, phasing through his prison and looking at Bruce in the eye.

"We will help." was all Alternate J'onn had to say. Alternate Shayera though began to speak in the Thanagarian language, her words sounded confused and a little frightened. Alternate J'onn turned to her and actually spoke to her in Thanagarian. As she calmed down, Bruce asked, "You know Thanagarian?"

"Only a little," admitted Alternate J'onn, "Her mind is briefly exposed so I am able to learn from her mind."

The Alternate Superman stumbled around for a bit before the drugs left his system and he demanded, "Who are you?"

"We're here to help." said Bruce.

"We?" asked Alternate Clark before the doorway was blocked by Superman and J'onn, who walked in to greet their alternative selves.

"Who are you?" questioned Alternate Clark.

"They are us from another universe." explained Alternate J'onn, "Savage, the man who had trapped us and experimented on us, has changed the timeline and they are now stuck in our universe and need to go back to their own."

"We'll help you settle yourselves in with the rebellion but we need to strike down the Headquarters first." said Superman. As Alternate Clark questioned Superman about his life, having been kidnapped from his home in his late teens, Bruce watched as Alternate Shayera stuck close to Alternate J'onn, the only other being who can communicate with her.

"She wants to know where her ship is." informed Alternate J'onn. Bruce watched as his J'onn J'onzz read Shayera's mind briefly and said, "One of the guardsmen spoke about needing to destroy several items from the second floor."

"Then let's move." said Superman. The fight upstairs was intense, but they were winning. With two Supermen, two Amazons, two Batmans, two speedsters, two Martians, an angry Lantern, and a police officer from another world, the rebellion took over the headquarters and managed to imprison Savage's forces. The Alternate Shayera had discovered that her ship had been scrapped into pieces but the storage box remained closed. OPening it, Alternate Shayera took out her mace and mask, along with her Absorbascon.

"Make sure that hardware doesn't land into Savage's hands," instructed Bruce, "With it, you'll be able to hack into Savage's computers with ease but make sure it stays in your hands."

"Understood," said The Bat. The second floor contained the time portal, which was still open. After reading through the notes, Bruce and The Bat had determined that going through the portal and finding Savage's original machine will help them go back to their universe.

"I feel obligated to stay and help," said Diana as she hugged her alternative self good-bye.

"Don't be," said Alternate Diana, "With our new friends, we have a bigger chance in fighting back against Savage."

"I hope you all do well," said John, feeling his own sense of duty.  
"You freed us," said Alternate Clark, "And we're going to help the world fight back for their own."

"Thank you." said Alternate Shayera, the Absorbascon still on her head as she continued to learn more about the Earth.

"It's nice to see you again Bruce," said The Bat. Bruce turned in surprise at his words and the Bat removed his cowl to show that it was Dick Grayson under the cowl. Bruce could only smile as Dick put the cowl back on and stepped back to the newly formed League. Bruce wondered what might have happened to the Bruce Wayne of this world, but he had no doubt that Dick will lead them to victory. He raised him after all.

The League looked at the portal and jumped in, ready to face whatever challenges they'll face in the other end.

They landed in the middle of a field and they all wondered where exactly they had landed. One look to the North showed a village nearby and Bruce only had to take a second to recognize where they were before Superman yelled, "Watch out!"

Flash quickly grabbed Bruce and Superman grabbed J'onn as they all moved away from the blast site. Diana had flown high above and yelled to her friends, "Invaders!"

"Nazis." said Bruce.

"Get to the village!" ordered Superman and they all made their way towards the town where many of the residents were fleeing from the battle. Bruce spotted American and British soldiers attempting to hold back the Nazi forces while the residents fled from the futuristic war machines. The war machines resembled a large red and spiked wheel that stood over 15 meters tall. One either side of the wheel was two cannons that were operated by the drivers.

"Diana! J'onn! With me!" ordered Superman and the three flew off towards the war machines. Diana and Superman only bursts through the windshields and grabbed the drivers by their collars before throwing them out into the ground. J'onn phased through the machines and dismantled all of them, ensuring that the repairs will be difficult. Flash and Batman were on the ground, helping the residents reach safe locations and stave off any wondering Nazis away. Lantern had created a large construct that took in many of the residents. Flash and Bruce helped the citizens make their way into the construct as John focused on holding up the large airship. He was using the last of his power and he hoped that they will be able to reach Ally territory before his power ran out. Superman, Diana, and J'onn managed to at least push back the first line of warmachines but the next line was more fortified and they needed to think about the citizens. Flash was already in the construct, helping the elderly rest on the construct's floor.

Superman, Diana, and J'onn were too busy helping the allies retreat into the constructed airship, not realizing that Bruce was still on the ground. As Bruce laid down several traps, he looked around to see John and Flash taking the residents with them while Superman, Diana, and J'onn retreated with the allies. Looking back, Bruce noticed several shadows inside a home. The warmachines were approaching quickly and Bruce leapt into action. Bursting through the windows he saw a red-haired woman struggling to lift an elderly woman from the mattress on the floor.

"Here," said Bruce, "Let me help."

The woman turned in surprise and Bruce stopped short, seeing Shayera's face look at him in shock. The rumbling of the house reminded him of the dire situation and he immediately leapt into action, bridal carrying the elderly woman as he and the Shayera-look-alike quickly escaped the house and made a good distance into the hills before the house was demolished by the rolling warmachine. They avoided the Nazis' search parties and hid in the trees and only moved when they were assured that the Nazis had moved to another location. The woman was actually leading them, to where Bruce didn't know. He should be wary about this woman, but she was willing to sacrifice her life for the elderly woman so he didn't question her stance on the war. The woman was silent but she was quick and Bruce continued to follow, the elderly woman speaking to him in French but he didn't have time to translate what she was saying.

It would be until near midnight that they finally stopped running and hiding, having reached a cliff wall in the forest. Bruce was tired but he remained alert as the woman tapped lightly three times on a smooth jutted rock before a hard knock twice. The walls opened up to reveal a secret passage and she gestured to Bruce to follow her. They walked down a dark hallway until they reached a steel door. She knocked hard four times and lightly tapped five times and the doors slid open to reveal a man with an automatic rifle in hand.

"Attendez! C'est un ami!" cried out the woman. Bruce understood that she called him a friend and waited until the man gestured for them to walk in. Bruce followed the woman and was met with the sight of men and women of all ages, training in hand to hand combat and learning how to properly handle an automatic weapon. He marveled at the secrecy and the progress these fighters made in their makeshift cave. A medical doctor approached Bruce and took the elderly woman from his arms, the elder patting Bruce's arm before being carried away.

"Mon ami," came the woman's voice behind and he turned and once again was greeted with Shayera's face.

"Parlez-vous français?" asked the woman.

"Couramment." said Bruce. He was very fluent in multiple languages so he wasn't stressing so much.

"Who are you?" asked the woman.

"I'm known to many as the Batman." said Bruce.

"But you are just a man?" asked the woman.

"Limits don't stop me." said Bruce. The woman smiled at him and he gave a small smirk back.

"Are you from around here?" asked the woman.

"I'm from the United States." said Bruce.

"Oh, American?" asked the woman in english.

"You speak fluently?" asked Bruce.

"Of course. Before the war, I was in University to become an English Professor." said the woman.

"Do you have a name?" asked Bruce, not wanting to keep calling her 'the woman'.

"Hello, the Batman," said the woman, "Je suis Rachel Durand."

"Where are we?" asked Bruce.  
"You are among the Armée Juive: The Jewish Army." said Rachel.

:You're Jewish?" asked Bruce.

"Well… was. I was raised Jewish, but I don't believe that there are higher beings," explained Rachel, a sad expression crossing her face, "I was exiled from my home but when the Nazis had begun to occupy, I couldn't stand at the thought of being safe while my family suffers. I came back hoping to rescue them but…"

She had a faraway look and Bruce didn't push it, knowing very well what happened to the Jewish people during this time.

"I joined the resistance, hoping that we can hold off the Nazis until the Allies arrived. When we were back at the village, we were helping with evacuations and then the Nazis had shown up with those monstrosities. I have heard stories, but that was the first time I had seen those machines." said Rachel. With this information, Bruce deduced then that Savage has been in this timeline for a while in order to mass product the weapons and had just unleashed them. Bruce knew that the only way to ensure that their timeline remains unaffected by Savage's forces is to stop him now while everything is just getting underhand. Savage's introduction of futuristic weaponry in WW2 has already created several potential different timelines. For now, they need to ensure that their timeline does not become corrupted by stopping Savage now.

"Do you need to return with your friends?" asked Rachel, "The ones that were flying?"

"Do you know where they might have gone?" asked Bruce.

"The small group of allies that have parachuted here have set up base farther up in the valleys. They had sent a representative here a week ago to talk about an Invasion they plan to do in Normandy." said Rachel, and like that Bruce knew what Savage was aiming for. If the Allies can't land in Normandy for D-Day, then the war is lost. They needed to eliminate Savage now and destroy his war machines before the war is lost.

"Do you think you can take me there?" asked Bruce. She looked hesitantly back at her group but nonetheless said,"Oui. I will take you there."

It took a while to restock on ammo and food, but Rachel managed to convince her leaders to allow her to show Bruce the way to the allies, only carrying a semi-automatic rifle and pistol on hand. It was nighttime when they had moved out, deciding that the cover of darkness would be better for them to avoid detection. Much of the time was spent in silence, the two having their ear out for any sound of vehicles or troops marching. Bruce followed Rachel very closely, not allowing himself to lose sight of her for even a moment. The logical part of him was because she is his guide and he can't afford to be lost in WW2 France. The other part of him, the one that was more Bruce Wayne than Batman, couldn't help but see Shayera leading him to safety and protecting him like she normally does, whether it was intentional or not remains to be unknown. Although now that the two are stepping into uncharted waters, he wondered just how long Shayera might have had feelings for him… perhaps it was the same length he held feelings for her. Bruce and Rachel quickly ducked into a field of tall grass and remained motionless to allow a Nazi scout party to pass by. He looked at Rachel again in order to study her features again.

It was uncanny how this woman resembled Shayera. Even down to the smile and her emerald eyes. Bruce would never tell anyone outloud but he honestly felt a little better having a familiar face with him. When he had first began his years as Batman, the nights were spent never trusting anyone and always be on edge. It changed when he had adopted Dick Grayson. At the ripe age of 23, Bruce had adopted the orphaned Acrobat into his home and when Dick had left to form the beginnings of the first Teen Titans, Jason Todd had attempted to steal the wheels from the Batmobile. From there, Bruce also adopted Jason but had lost him a year later to the Joker. He had no intention initially after Jason to ever have a Robin again, but then Tim Drake showed up and actually auditioned for the spot. It was too much to say no and when Tim lost his parents to Two-Face's mob, Bruce adopted Tim into the family. Barbara had joined the Bat family around the same time as Dick, Harper Row is another new addition along with the silent orphan Barbara had adopted named Cassandra Cain. The once lonely hero who had thought his life will be filled with darkness had several lanterns guiding his way and brightening his life.

"Bon," said Rachel, "Let's go."

They traveled for days, sharing the food in small rations and Rachel often sharing her childhood memories to help pass the time. Bruce again was struck at how similar Rachel and Shayera were, seeing as how open-minded Shayera normally is and isn't afraid to hide information unless directed to do so. He allowed Rachel to share her life story with him, often smiling with her during funny memories and happy moments. They were down to the last of their food and hiding underneath a jutted boulder when a shadow above passed them. Bruce immediately recognized the shadow and quietly called out, "Superman."

Superman immediately appeared in front of them, startling Rachel but giving Bruce a sense of relief. Superman smiled when he saw Bruce and said, "Batman! We were worried about you!"

"I had help." gestured Bruce to Rachel, who meekly waved. Superman blinked in surprise at the Shayera look alike and looked at Bruce who only gave a slight lift of his shoulders.  
"Let's get you both to the camp," said Superman, "We're going to need an extra set of hands in order to convince the Allies to let us help, Batman."

Superman carried them over to where a camp was set up with American and British allies residing in a town with French citizens. It was when they reached the City Hall that Bruce understood why Superman wanted him to be there.

"I'm not fighting beside a black man. This is a real man's war," insulted a captain, "not some hick's fight."

"SAY THAT AGAIN!" roared John, being held back by Diana, "I CAN TAKE YOU DOWN WITH JUST ONE SWING!"

"You can't even break free from a girl," insulted the captain, rolling his eyes and smirking at John in a malicious way.  
"This girl," snarled Diana, "can bend your weapon into a useless toothpick. I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut."

"I'd listen to her if I were you," warned Bruce as he stepped into the room. His appearance frightened and gave cause for many to scoot away from him as he walked into the room, "Amazons are one of the most fiercest fighters in this planet."

"Amazon? Listen General, don't trust these yahoos for anything, we can take the Nazis on ou-" the captain was cut off by the general, a blonde man with blue eyes, who said, "On our own, Captain Sprang? I seem to recall having to order a full retreat when none of our weapons was able to penetrate the machines. In fact, it was these people who managed to save our asses and save all the citizens from the Nazis."  
Captain Sprang, a man with an unpleasant disposition, remained silent as the others looked at their General for guidance. The General looked at Bruce and asked, "So what do they call you? I have met the Flash, the Green Lantern, Superman, J'onn J'onzz, and Wonder Woman."

"Batman." said Bruce and watched as the General nodded and extended his hand out, "General Don Prince."

"I believe you all are getting ready for the Normandy Invasion?" asked Batman. General Prince blinked in surprise and asked, "How?"

"A little birdie from the Jewish Army told me and guided me here." said Bruce. Rachel stepped behind Superman, not sure whether she had done bad but when General Prince smiled, she let out a small sigh of relief.

"Well then I don't have to explain to you then how important this is?" asked General Prince.  
"I already know." said Bruce, "We need to find the headquarters of a man named Vandal Savage."

"Already ahead of you there," said General Prince, "We have a allied Air Unit that have located the factories of Savage and had taken the Flash with them to see to their destruction. Your Martian friend interrogated a Nazi prisoner of ours and managed to extract several key information."

Bruce nodded in satisfaction, knowing that with the Flash available to not only take out ground forces and rescue any innocents, the Special Air Unit will have no trouble in demolishing the factories. He looked over at J'onn and asked, "Is there anything that might give us a clue to where to begin?"

"The Nazis have an airfield close to the Normandy beach where they have three large airships with enough ammunition to wipe out the Invasion force." said J'onn.

"Then our first priority is to take out the airships What is the date today?" asked Bruce.

"June 9." provided General Prince.

"Then we haven't a moment to lose. Superman, J'onn, and I will head towards the airfield. Diana and John, the both of you need to stay and help them defend the line. Until we get back, the Nazis have probably already informed Savage about our presence." said Bruce, "Rachel, you are to wait here and wait for a man in red and gold to show up and have him take you back to the Jewish Army."

Rachel saluted Bruce and the others had to fight back the smile at seeing how uncanny the Shayera look alike looked like her at that moment. With less than 24 hours to stop Savage from wiping out the Invasion force, the heroes moved swiftly and made their way to the airfield. Superman and J'onn readily attacked the airships, dismantling all the progress the Nazis had made. With J'onn's phasing abilities and Superman's strength, it only took a few minutes to swiftly destroy the airships. Superman's presence had frightened the Nazis away when they realized their bullets could do nothing to harm him. Bruce had hacked into the servers and discovered Savage's time portal in his headquarters in Paris and quickly did the math to determine that the portal will remain open just long enough for them to pass on through. It only determines if they can quickly stop savage in time. The three heroes went back to the camp to find Diana and John arguing against a huge mob of soldiers.

"We don't need no negro's help or some broad's nagging to tell us how to fight a war." insulted one of the American soldiers.  
"Come up to me and say those words," challenged Diana, "If you are brave enough to say them surrounded by your friends then you can come up to me and say it to my face."  
"Oh yeah? Whatcha goin to do? Scold me and put me in time out?" cackled the American soldier when he suddenly found himself face to face with a very angry Amazon. With one hand she lifted him high above her head and threw him 10 feet away. The other soldiers that had previously backed the man were suddenly wary around Diana.

"We still don't want some Ni-" said one soldier before John grabbed his arm and quickly flipped him over his shoulder and slamming his foot against his back.  
"Don't ever say that word around me." threatened John. It only enticed the others to surround John and try to subdue him. Diana and the others were about to intervene when General Prince called out, "Hold on Princess, let your friend fight."

John was winning, determined to show the bigots just who was the real man. With every win, the others noticed the green glow surrounding John and it was until it became blinding that a Lantern appeared from the glow. The others that had tried to subdue John backed away from the glow while John reached for the Lantern and began to charge his nearly dead ring.

"Why didn't you use your ring?" asked Diana.  
"I'm more than just this ring. I don't need the ring to tell me how to win a fight. I'm a Marine." said John as he calmed down. The soldiers that have heard John suddenly looked at him with some respect. It wasn't common after all to have a Marine on this part of the world while they were busy dealing with the Japs.

"Has Flash arrived yet?" questioned Bruce.  
"Present!" called out Flash as he sped to them and said, "Sup Bats?"

"Are the factories gone?" asked Superman.

"Gone and gone! The Nazis are back to square one!" said Flash and the soldiers around him cheered as the confirmation spread throughout the camp: they were back on equal grounds.

"Where's Rachel?" asked Bruce.  
"The Shay lookalike? She's talking with Blackhawk." said Flash. The others followed him to see a group of men in blue uniforms with a black hawk symbol on their red and blue planes. Rachel was marveling the planes and was talking with them about flying one of her own.

"You can fly planes, cherie?" asked one of the men.  
"I used to sneak out of my home to fly an antique First World War biplane." confessed Rachel.  
"Well consider yourself one of us now!" said the man. Rachel smiled and turned to greet Bruce and the others.  
"Joining the Air unit?" asked Bruce.  
"I've always wanted to be a part of the sky," said Rachel, "To soar and to feel the wind is one of the best feelings in the world."

"Then I'm glad to have you fight alongside us. With the factories out of commission and the airships destroyed, the only thing left is to invade Savage's headquarters in Paris and go back home." said Bruce. It was all honestly easier said than done. With much to prepare for D-Day and the invasion of Paris, the League quickly gathered their Allies and made their way towards Paris. Savage had obviously anticipated them with the amount of soldiers that met them to stop them. They were easily beaten back, decimating the lines and ensuring that the Nazis will have to quickly scramble for reinforcements after the battle is over. As they approached the building, they met little to no resistance. It was strange and the League remained on alert. John used his ring to light the whole dark building and Bruce guided them to where the time portal is. With the Blackhawks rescuing Jewish citizens before the Nazis returned with reinforcements, they had little time to idle by without risking other people's lives. They reached the room, a large space with a black and white portal formed in the middle.

"I see you managed to stop me." came a grisly voice from an intercom.  
"Where are you Savage?" snarled Superman.

"Far away. When it looked like I had no option but to flee, I took it. I'm a survivor. My future self may have forgotten to inform me about the Justice League. I'll be sure not to repeat the same mistake." said Savage.

"We'll always be here to stop you, one way or another." said J'onn.

"Perhaps you're right," said Savage, "Then when we meet again in your time, I'll be sure to strike hard."

With that it was silent and they were left alone. They didn't know what to expect but eventually, after calling to the Blackhawks through walkie-talkie that they made it through, they walked through the portal, content to have saved WW2.

They fell through the black and white swirl, almost nauseous at the color. Bruce briefly wondered what happened to Rachel but didn't think much when they all finally landed on ground.  
"Did we make it back?" asked Flash.  
"How did you get from space to here?" asked Shayera, her presence sudden but very welcoming.  
"SHAY!" cried out Wally and he sped over to tackle her to the ground.  
"Hello? I'm sorry, but what happened? I was talking to you guys from the Watchtower and the next I see you disappear only to have you reappear down here in Paris." said Shayera. She glanced over at Bruce who gave a subtle nod to confirm that he'll explain later.

"How'd you find us so fast?" asked Diana.

"A Navy SEAL contacted me and talked about an abnormal energy readings while he is stationed here. I came to investigate only to see you all show up out of nowhere." explained Shayera.

"Navy SEAL?" asked John.

"Steve Trevor, at your service." came a voice behind him and the others turned to see Don Prince reincarnated in front of them.

"Yeah, Trevor was making a Diplomatic visit when the readings began to show." said Shayera.

"This building is where grandfather, Don Prince, managed to help secure Paris's freedom during WW2. This was more of a memorial visit that anything really." explained Trevor. His eyes were on Diana and Diana could only raise an eyebrow at him, deciding to talk to Shayera about it later.

"Well then, since you all have a lot of explaining to do, let's go back home." said SHayera.

"Home sounds nice." said J'onn and they all left to the Javelin where they reached the Watchtower. It was there that Shayera had the greatest story ever told to her.

"That's amazing," marveled Shayera, "Multiple universes exists and you all managed to go to one and back."

"It was surreal and going back in time really put us through the loop." said Wally.

"I bet. Must be weird having to see the olden days." said Shayera, her wings flared a little to stretch and Bruce was again reminded of Rachel. Peeling away from the group, he moved to the computers and typed down Rachel Durand. The search showed her picture, memorialized next to the Blackhawk squadron. He read more into her history past WW2 and discovered that she had sacrificed her life to save a Vietnamese village from destruction after American forces accidentally mistook the village to be a Viet Cong base. She had placed herself between the bombs and the village, ensuring that the village lives at the expense of her life. Saddened about her death, Bruce still felt honored to have met such an extraordinary woman.

That night, with Shayera not having to perform her shifts and Bruce tired after his universe-hopping-time-travel-adventure, the two spent the night at Wayne Manor where Bruce, deciding to have a little Rachel shine from him, began to recount happy childhood memories to Shayera who shared memories back with him. The two sat by the fire, Bruce in his nightrobe and Shayera in her tracksuit, both armorless and vulnerable to each other. A very happy butler would wake the two the next morning, both naked in bed and mussed up hair. Alfred would leave the room in high spirits, praying hard that Master Bruce has found his lighthouse in his dark life.

 _ **What's up readers? Like or dislike? I changed a lot of the original story because it's a Shayera/Bruce pairing which means that history is different as well along with including a more realistic reaction to Wonder Woman and John's presence in the 1940s world. I still wish that the show had touched on the subjects of racism and feminism of the 40s because I felt they could have had a good story to build on it. Hopefully you guys liked it, it took a while to figure out how to write this and give a subtle nudge to Shayera's reincarnation background, but more on that in later chapters :) thank you all for reading :)**_


	25. Twilight

_**Twilight**_

Shayera sighed as she watched the video of hawks flying taken in a documentary that was filmed at the Midway National Park. She recognizes one of the hawks as the same hawk she had befriended back in her first year on Earth. He and his mate were willing to show off their feathers and flying capabilities to the human naturalist so Shayera smiled as she watched the video change from them flying to them building a nest together. She gave another sigh, thinking back to her own partner.

Bruce and Shayera spent many nights together whenever they had the time to do so, most of it either in his bed or watching the sunset at the National Park. Shayera and Bruce will never say that they were in love with each other, but the feelings they did have surpassed average interest. There will be times during missions when Bruce will occasionally and discreetly keep an eye out for Shayera while she in turn helped him patrol Gotham. It wasn't known to the others about their budding relationship except for J'onn.

Shayera didn't hear him walk in until he spoke behind her, "Majestic aren't they?"

She turned in surprise but smiled nonetheless and said, "Yes, I'm so happy he found someone to settle down with."

"You know the hawk?"

"One of my first friends I made here on Earth. I didn't know what to do and how to be on my own in this strange world and of all the creatures to run into, it was Batman and the hawk."

"You and Batman have been getting more intimate with each other." stated J'onn. Shayera once again looked at him in surprise and asked, "How did you know? We were so careful."

"You all forget sometimes that I am capable of reading minds. Batman was exhibiting so much happiness that day we were returning from the civic case because he was thinking about you. Am I wrong to presume that you too feel the same way for him?"

"No," sighed Shayera, "I never actually thought we would even be interested in each other. Batman has often kept his secrets and heart locked away. I don't ever want to compromise him of his safety and comfort but when he made that first move, I became the happiest woman in the world."

"He feels so strongly for you," said J'onn as he sat next to her, "He wouldn't stop worrying for you when we were sent back in time."

"I have no idea what that must have been like," marveled Shayera, "Experiencing a different universe along with going back in time. They must have had quite the history lesson. Mavis would have been jealous."

"I'm sure she would until she realizes the horrors of war." Shayera nodded in agreement with his words and looked back at the monitor with a small feeling of longing. Six years have now passed since her landing on Earth and while she still misses her family, the feelings of homesickness were ebbing away as the days rolled by. There were even times where weeks will pass by and she wouldn't be thinking about her family at all. It was a small fear that eventually she will forget them but she still continues to hope that one day she will see them again.

"You know with me, Superman, and yourself being the only ones out here, perhaps we should be called the 'Just-Us League'."joked J'onn.

Shayera smirked at him and asked, "Has Flash been teaching you humor?"

"You know Shayera, if you ever wanted to talk to someone about your predicament, always know that I am here for you. Or at the very least, Diana." said J'onn.

"Please," snorted Shayera, "I'm the one that's been telling her to remain calm with her date with Steve Trevor."

"The Navy SEAL?"

"The very same. He asked her out last week when Diana left with him to go on a mission to hunt down Cheetah in the Amazonian Jungle. She's actually supposed to be back right now actually. I was supposed to be off an hour ago."

Just as Shayera finished her sentence, the doors slid open to reveal Diana with a smile on her face along with Batman. He went towards the computer in order to pull some files while Shayera interrogated Diana.  
"I can assume that all went well in your first ever date in Man's World?" teased Shayera. Diana only smirked at her and said, "There was nothing he could have done to impress me."

"Oh? Then why are you smiling so big then?"

"Because throughout the entire time, it was never about him but of me."

"Hmm, chivalrous. You rarely see those these days."

The banter would have continued if the alarm hadn't rung throughout the tower. Vibrations rocked through the satellite and Shayera, Batman, Diana, and J'onn immediately went to work to find the problem. Superman came flying in to help with situation after being awoken from his nap in his room.

"Are we being invaded?" questioned Diana, "The sensors are picking up a powerful energy surge."

Shayera quickly began to scan the readings and said, "I've never seen an energy signature like this."

"I have," said Superman somberly, "It's a boom tube."

The air behind them cackled with electricity and Shayera turned along with the others to see a white light open up a portal. A silhouette emerged and Shayera watched as a large man with grey skin and blue armor take form. His glowing red and yellow eyes sent shivers down Shayera's spine. His stance screamed dominance and fear, causing Shayera to involuntary reach for her mace.

"You!" yelled Superman as he immediately assaulted the man. Superman 's strength actually tipped the tower to the side, giving Shayera a glimpse to a side of Superman she has never seen. With every punch he throws at the man into the wall, the tower was moving along with the impact.  
"Get a hold of him before he knocks us out of orbit!" ordered Bruce and Diana and J'onn moved to restrain Superman. Shayera watched in awe at the strength Superman was exhibiting. She had always known he is a formidable opponent to villains but this is the first time she has seen him close to unleashing his full power.

"It is good to see you too, Kal-El." said the man.

"Darkseid," sneered Superman, "What do you want?"

"I need your help. My skirmish with New Genesis has left my defenses weak against a new threat.

"Why should we help you?"

"Because my enemy is your enemy," said Brainiac as he produced a holographic image of a strange android, "I'm sure you know about the Kryptonian menace known as Brainiac."

Shayera blinked in surprise at Darkseid's words. This android is Kryptonian?

"That's impossible. I destroyed him." said Superman, immediately placing himself in front of the others to protect them in case Darkseid had different plans.  
"You know what happens when Brainiac visits a new world after siphoning off their technology and information." said Darkseid.

"He destroys it." Shayera once again blinked in surprise and horror at this revelation.

"My planet is already on Brainiac's path and with millions of lives at stake, Brainiac will surely destroy Apokolips."

"Good." Shayera and the others glanced at Superman in surprise. Good-natured, fair, and heroic Superman is willing to let a world die?  
"What?" asked Shayera. Superman ignored her however and continued to glare at Darkseid.

"You may not care what happens to my people Kal-El, but unless you join forces with me then billions of more lives will be lost. Think about it." said Darkseid as he left the tower in another boom tube. The Watchtower was silent. Everybody's eyes were on Superman as he stood there shaking with rage.

"So that's it then? You're going to let millions of innocents die all because you don't like him?" asked Diana.

"You don't know him like I do, Diana," said Superman, "You don't know about the things he's done."

"He used you," said Batman, "Brainwashed you and set you loose on Metropolis doing his bidding." He walked up to Superman until they were face to face and said, "Cry me a river."

The awkwardness of the whole situation made the others uncomfortable as the staring match between Bruce and Clark intensified.

"We know what he did to you, but at this point Clark there are millions of lives at risk. I suggest you get over it and actually think!" said Batman, not caring that the world's strongest man is right across from him.

Shayera was compelled to step in and break up their staring match when J'onn beat her to the punch.

"Do you really want Brainiac to be the last legacy your people left behind in this world if you pass up this opportunity to stop him?" The conflict in Superman's eyes were deep and complex as he was torn between letting one enemy die and allowing another enemy to escape.

"We are with you Superman." said Shayera, "If you believe that this is a trap then have us come with you to help you."

Clark looked at Shayera and nodded in consent before turning to Batman and said, "If I'm going to be helping Darkseid fight against Brainiac. I need you to go to New Genesis and get Orion to help us."

Clark quickly flew out of the room and came back in under a second, a white metal box in his hand with electric blue buttons on it.

"This is Mother Box," explained Superman, "This will take you to New Genesis. Take Wonder Woman with you while J'onn and Hawkgirl come with me."

"Any particular reason why you have us split into teams?" asked Diana much to Bruce's relief. He didn't want to be the one to ask the question despite wanting to know why Superman would want to bring Shayera with him to an active warzone.

"It'll be faster for us and easier for us this way. I need J'onn and Shayera with me since they are more familiar with warzones than I am and Bruce can go with you to New Genesis just in case things get dicey. Orion can be a little intense." explained Superman.

"Alright, we'll meet with you back at Apokolips." said Diana as she walked over to Batman. One quick glance at Shayera and her subtle nod helped alleviate his worries and he clicked on the button that transported himself and Diana away to New Genesis.

"Alright, let's get on the Javelin." said Superman, taking charge. Shayera and J'onn called up Flash to take over for Monitor Duty and left on the Javelin with Superman towards Apokolips.

If there was anything in the world Shayera would love to avoid was active warzones. As she thought about what to expect in Apokolips, the more her hearts accelerated in fear. Flashes of memories passed by her eyes as she recalled the air raids, the drills, the close encounter to a Gordanian Scout she had as a child before her father saved her. It was all coming back to her in full force, causing her muscles to tighten and tense up.

"Are you alright Shayera?" asked J'onn, sensing her distress.

"I'm good, it's been years since I was in an active warfield, that's all."

"You two can go to New Genesis if you'd like and I can have Batman and Diana with me." said Superman, worried if he might be forcing Shayera and J'onn to relive nightmares that they might not want to visit.

"I'm good, Clark," said Shayera, steeling her nerves, "Nothing but a walk in the park."

"Are you sure?" asked Superman, "I don't want you two to relive nightmares. "

"To be honest Clark," said Shayera, "you're going to need us with you anyways. We are the only two in the League to take part in a war so you need us."

Superman looked like he wanted to argue more, feeling horrible for forgetting about the past lives his two teammates had, when J'onn immediately called and used the intercom to connect with Apokolips.

"This is the Justice League requesting teleportation to Apokolips for back up."

It was silent for a brief minute until they heard someone say, "This is Lord Steppenwolf. Be ready."

The space in front of them opened up to a boom tube and J'onn flew them in. They emerged to instant bombardment, Shayera's instincts taking over and grabbing onto the controls when J'onn and Superman flinched.

Deftly flying low to avoid the bombardment, Shayera managed to distance themselves from the battle, giving them a good look at a safe distance.

There were tanks with dragon heads firing cannons at a sleek and sophisticated ship that had a force field around it. Seeing Darkseid at a distance, Shayera piloted them towards him.

"It looks as though Darkseid was telling the truth." said J'onn.

"For now," said Superman and he opened up the latch and flew outside.

"J'onn take the reigns," ordered Shayera, "give us cover from above."

Shayera gave control back to J'onn and followed Superman outside the safety of the ship. They flew close to the ground to avoid detection and managed to reach where Darkseid was overlooking the battle."

"What are you doing?" snarled Darkseid, "get back out there and fight!"

"Sure," said Superman dryly, "why not? Just clean up your mess and leave right?"

Superman's attitude is the first time Shayera ever witnessed it. It shocked her to see the normally friendly and open Superman be so cynical and closed off. His anger radiated off of him in waves and Shayera, for the first time since letting go of her irrational fear of Krypton, felt very nervous to be around him. While she doubted Superman will do anything to harm her or J'onn, it still meant that he could be making irrational decisions and might ignore them if it came down to it. Shayera covered his back, however, deflecting the blasts from Brainiac's air machines while Superman took care of the infantry forces.

With almost half dispatched with one blast of Superman's heat vision, Darkseid's army advanced and were quickly dispatching the tanks. Shayera maneuvered skillfully in the sky, many of the blasts avoiding her and hitting each other instead. Shayera felt her muscles fall back into the rehearse pattern she learned in the Thanagarian Police Academy. Her superiors would drill the new cadets to learn these tactics in the event a Gordanian Invasion happened and while a full scale invasion almost happened at one point and Shayera was grateful that the drills were what saved her life in the end. It was her division that had to help evacuate the city of Thalrassa while also attack the infantry that had managed to get past the first line of defense. In the end, Shayera and her squad managed to successfully protect the Education district, her little brother being one of the few to have attempted to join the battle until she forcefully placed him behind the shield line. After eliminating the Invasion, a memorial was held for the military and the police who had protected the city. Shayera's mother wanted her to quit the Police and instead become an archeologist like herself but Shayera refused. It would only be a month later that Shayera would chase down Byth and be transported to Earth.

Shayera brought her mace out and slammed it against the wing of one of Brainiac's air machines, the plane flew down and exploded against the shield generator that protected Brainiac. Shayera only took a glance at the AI to see that it had its attention on Superman and quickly looked to see a squadron of airships make their way towards him. Shayera charged her mace to the fullest and flew high above until she was surrounded by the electricity. She flew down like a comet and with one hit managed to wipe out the fleet, protecting Superman and allowing Darkseid's forces to advance further. Superman got blasted by one of Brainiac's beams and she watched as he fell next to Darkseid, who didn't even flinch.

Shayera, distracted, didn't see the incoming ship until she felt it hit her with one of the beams and she went down hard. Groaning, Shayera looked up to see it coming down straight for her when it blasted in the air, Looking around for her savior, Shayera smiled and flew up in the air to join J'onn who was still piloting the Javelin. Superman entered the fight again, this time going straight for Brainiac.

Using his heat vision to grab the AI's attention, Superman cried out, "Brainiac! Fight me!"

"Kal-El," said the AI, its voice calm and neutral, "Surprised to see me?"

"Hardly," sneered Superman and Shayera was chilled at his cold tone, "How about you lower your shields and fight me?"

"I believe a taste of your medicine is at hand." said Brainiac as he opened a small hole in the shield in order to blast at Superman with his own energy beam. Superman met the beam with his own heat vision and a test of strength began. Shayera quickly flew up to deflect any beams that were heading towards Superman, redirecting them back to the attackers. Brainiac's army is decimated and all that left was the shield in order destroy Brainiac's Invasion ship. Superman pushed through Brainiac's energy beam, pushing closer to the point where Superman was able to grab onto the shield and hold it open with enough space for Darkseid to use his own Omega beams to blast through Brainiac and into his ship. The generators exploded, allowing for the shields to go down and for Darkseid's army to push through and fire all their artillery into the ship.  
"Until next time." said Brainiac, a beam from his ship attempted to pull him up but Superman quickly got to the AI and began to punch the daylights out of it. Its body began to demolish but a quick surprise blast from its energy beams allowed for it to escape Superman's wrath.  
"No!" cried out Superman and he watched in anger as the AI made its escape. Superman attempted to follow but the ship immediately took off, the energy from its turbine engines knocking Superman back. Shayera quickly flew up to him and grabbed him from behind, righting himself back to normal.

"Thanks." said Superman as he glared up at the sky as Brainiac flew away. They heard an engine behind them and saw Darkseid make his way over to them.  
"What are you doing?" he demanded, "You're letting him get away!"

"No, no," sneered Superman, "please, don't rush to help."

Superman flew towards the Javelin and Shayera made to follow him when a strange feeling chilled her. Turning around, she noticed Darkseid's stare at her and only gave a stiff nod in acknowledgement before quickly joining Superman and J'onn, not seeing the calculating look that began to spread on Darkseid's face.

"So what now?" asked Shayera as she and Superman strapped themselves in.

"We follow him. Keep him in the radar." ordered Superman. They followed Brainiac's ship deeper into space and were met with an asteroid belt.

"Where did he go?" asked Shayera, surprised that a ship as large as Brainiac's managed to evade them behind the asteroids.  
"I don't know, but keep an eye on the radar. It says we're close." said Superman. J'onn navigated them deeper into the belt, avoiding the asteroids in order to properly follow Brainiac.

"The radar says he's right below us." said Shayera, nervous of an ambush. Just as she said it however, the ship stopped in its tracks.

"We're being pulled by a tractor beam." informed J'onn. The began to lower into a crater of a large asteroid, unsure where they were being pulled.

"Be ready." said Superman. Shayera, Superman, and J'onn got up from their seats and waited until the ship stopped and they were well deep inside the crater that the only light source came from their ship and from above. Shayera looked outside to see the crater entrance close and realized that they might have just entered the lion's den.

Lights surrounded them as soon as the entrance closed, revealing that they have entered into a hangar. Brainiac's shattered ship was off to the side and they walked outside the Javelin, cautious and wary.

"There's oxygen in here. As though he wants us to be here." said J'onn.

"Be careful," warned Superman, "He's unpredictable in situations like this and I'd rather be ready for the offensive."

They walked down the hanger, entering another section of the hideout to see many layers of platforms that held computer screens.

"Where is he?" questioned J'onn. They were unsure where to go, too many hallways were presented to them and they didn't want to split up in the event Brainiac might pick them off.

"Welcome Kal-El." came the voice of Brainiac from above them. They looked up to see him in a new body as he floated down to them.

"Brainiac," snarled Superman, "How did you survive?"

"That's a secret for you to never know." taunted Brainiac, "I offer you one more chance, Kal-El to join me."

"If my first rejection didn't tip you off then how about this: no." said Superman, his entire body positioned at the ready to fight.

"Not even if it meant to know more about your home planet, Krypton? Think about it Kal-El, you could be the one to restore Krypton's legacy in this universe." said Brainiac as the computer screens around them began to show images of the planet Krypton. In front of them stood a massive photo of a man who looks like Superman along with a beautiful woman with Superman's eyes, "This is your chance to keep the legacy of your family alive."

"You're the greatest disease that could ever come out of Krypton," sneered Superman, "and I'm going to make sure that you will be forever gone from this universe."  
"I'm disappointed that it has to be this way." said Brainiac, as it began to attack them. Superman, Shayera and J'onn quickly flew away from the blast and each split off into three directions to force Brainiac into choosing one target. Brainiac kept its focus on Superman, shooting his red radiation blasts at him. J'onn phased into the floor while Shayera flew high above and began to attack from behind. Brainiac was forced to stop shooting after Superman and began to defend himself, not sensing J'onn come up at him from behind until it was too late. J'onn phased through the floor and into Brainiac's body, becoming solid inside the AI and ripping it to shreds on the inside.

"This was too easy." remarked J'onn when Shayera and Superman landed next to him. True enough, hidden panels slid open to reveal more Brainiac bodies begin to attack them. They were surrounded.

"I'll take the ten to the left and you two take the 10 on the right." ordered Shayera as she leapt into battle. Instincts overrode her body and Shayera could feel the feral nature come back again. This time, instead of fighting it, she allowed it to take over.

It was strange to allow an instinct to take over. It is thrilling to feel such a rush and Shayera was almost playful even. Counting score inside her head, Shayera gleefully removed the heads off the Brainiac, feeling liberated to deal damage. She could feel a surge of power course through her and her vision went red. She blanked out for a minute, only to have her vision return with all of Brainiac's bodies on the ground.

Panting, Shayera turned to smile at her teammates when she saw them looking at her with wide eyes.

"What?" asked Shayera, "We did a good job right?"

"You don't… remember?" asked Superman.

"Remember what?" asked Shayera, "we beat Brainiac right?"

"No… _you_ beat Brainiac." corrected J'onn.

"What?" asked Shayera.

"Shayera, did you go into your frenzy mode again?" asked Superman.  
"Yes but… I always remember what happens. How did I beat this many on my own?" asked Shayera.

"An excellent question. First we must leave this place." said J'onn. They turned to leave when an unsuspecting blast hit Superman right on his back. Superman screamed in pain as he fell, shocking both Shayera and J'onn. They moved to help when a boom tube opened up behind them and showed Darkseid emerging. A blast of his omega beam headed straight for J'onn and Shayera didn't think. She threw herself between J'onn and the beam, mace out front in an effort to deflect it. The beam hit her mace, its power pushing Shayera and J'onn back. The force was so powerful that it actually buried them underground. Shayera could feel J'onn get knocked out by the pressure and she was thankful that her armor is helping her remain conscious. When the beam finally stopped, Shayera remained still, hoping that Darkseid will move on. She worried about Superman, hearing his cries of pain intensify but Shayera didn't want to give up the element of surprise yet. Praying that Superman remains ok, Shayera quickly turned to see J'onn and try to determine if he was suffering.

J'onn remained unconscious as Shayera quickly carried him on her back, using her wings as an extra set of limbs. Crawling out of the hole, Shayera fought back against her claustrophobia and took breaks in between in order to quell her panic. As she reached the entrance of the hole, she cautiously looked around to see that the room was empty. Dragging J'onn out, Shayera tried to determine what her next move was going to be when another boom tube opened up in front of her. Grabbing J'onn, Shayera dragged him behind a platform, not wanting to deal with another Apokolips citizen.

Peeking up, Shayera rejoiced in seeing Bruce and Diana with someone else. Hoisting J'onn, Shayera carried him towards her friend and mate who turned in surprise to see her.

"Where's Superman?" asked Diana.

"Darkseid and Brainiac were working together. They managed to catch J'onn and I but took Superman somewhere else." informed Shayera.

"Are you hurt?" asked Bruce, his face and voice never changing but the slight tense on his shoulders showed his worry.

"Armor and mace protected me," informed Shayera as she gently placed J'onn down, "He's only out cold for awhile, not sure when he's going to wake up."

"Take him back to the Javelin and meet up with us again. If Darkseid and Brainiac are working together it's better to have all of us together." said Batman. Shayera nodded and quickly hoisted J'onn on top of her back again, quickly but cautiously making her way to the Javelin.

Bruce watched as Shayera left to drop J'onn at the Javelin. He didn't want her to come back and instead stand guard at the ship. He knew though that by telling her so would only make her feel like she has nothing to contribute when she does. Being in this new relationship opened many possible dangers that could harm himself and Shayera. For one, if word got out that the two were seeing together it will lead many of his rogues, especially the Joker, to go into Midway just to use her to get to him. Bruce has also been known over the years as a heartbreaker but he too has had his heart broken. Case in point, Selina Kyle.

Still, as he watched Shayera walk away, he is for once happy that there was someone he could rely on and for once trust without a doubt. Taking a deep breath, Bruce led Diana and Orion deeper into the hallway ahead where they began to hear Superman scream in pain. They ran, intending to save him when they witnessed Darkseid in a red room with Brainiac seeming to sap the life force out of Superman. Batman quickly used his batarangs to free Superman from his bonds, Diana flying forward and catching the Man of Steel before he hit the ground.  
"Brainiac!" ordered Darkseid, "Destroy them!"

"I do not want to obey your commands, but I am compelled to." came the voice of Brainiac and panels slid open to reveal Brainiac androids coming at them. Diana flew down to avoid the blasts and Orion engaged in combat with Darkseid. Bruce looked over at the computer monitors and quickly made his way up, intending to stop the Brainiac androids from functioning. The strange language was difficult to decipher so Bruce did the only thing that was possible. Raising his fists high above his head he brought it down and smashed the console. Electricity surrounded the machine before it exploded. The entire room began to blare out alarms, warning everybody of impending doom and destruction.

Bruce almost didn't notice the Brainiac droid behind him until Shayera's mace flew through the air and decapitated it. Shayera gave him a quick nod and grabbed hand, flying them over to the entrance where Diana and Superman were waiting for them.

"Where's Orion?" asked Diana.

"Who?" asked Shayera.

"The man who was with us earlier! He was fighting Darkseid earlier." said Diana.

"I'll find him," said Superman and he quickly flew away from them.  
"Wait!"

"Head to the Javelin, I'm sure he'll meet us there!" ordered Bruce, hoping that Clark won't let his feelings get in the way of saving Orion. The trio made it back to the Javelin where J'onn was awake and already at the wheel.

"Superman?" questioned Shayera. Bruce looked around and when he couldn't spot his friend, cursed low and shouted, "Get out of here! I'll find him!"

Bruce sprinted down the hallway, ignoring Shayera's cries for him to wait for her before the Javelin closed and took off, cursing Clark for his stupidity and need for revenge. Bruce could feel his muscles scream to rest but with the whole base self destructing and with an intelligent AI and a homicidal dark god in that area, it was best to leave. He heard Clark's voice in one corridor and ran in, coming to the sight of Clark standing over Darkseid who was trapped under rubble.

"I'm not leaving until you're just a greasy stain in my hands." threatened Clark and he made to move towards Darkseid but as the building began to tremor more violently, Bruce grabbed onto the Motherbox Clark had given to him earlier in order to reach New Genesis and opened the portal directly behind Clark.

"NO!" cried out Clark as he was sucked inside the portal. Bruce quickly spotted Orion and used his grappling hook to drag the unconscious fighter to him and jumped into the portal, leaving Darkseid behind.

Grunting as he fell out, he was greeted with the sight of Highfather and a furious Clark.

"What was that for?" yelled Clark but Bruce coldy met his glare.

"You're vendetta against Darkseid almost got Orion killed." It was all Bruce had to say to see the guilt creep up into Superman's eyes and for him to calm down. A whooshing sound was heard above them and they turned to see the Javelin land behind them. Shayera was the first to jump out, looking around until she spotted him. She flew to them before she quickly restrained herself and casually greeted them. Bruce almost had to smile at her downplay but he knew that she must be pissed at him for pulling his stunt.

"Superman! Batman! Are you all alright?" asked J'onn, slowly limping towards them with Diana supporting him.

"Bring him here." ordered Highfather, who had finished healing Orion and Diana brought over J'onn where HIghfather began to heal him. Bruce watched Shayera glance around curiously and said, "This is New Genesis."

"The place with the floating city?" asked Shayera, having heard Diana retell the adventures she and Bruce faced while in New Genesis.

"There is no more city." came the grieving voice of Highfather and the League was shocked to hear it. Batman looked up around the sky but was distracted to hear someone fly in from behind. Lightray lands beside Highfather with only a grieving look in his eyes.

"There's no sign of anyone, Highfather."

Highfather only closed his eyes and continued to heal J'onn. When he was finished, J'onn stood up with hardly a limp and stood beside Superman, who continued to look at the night sky.

"Not even Darkseid could have survived that blast." said Bruce. Superman turned to him and said, "You know what Bruce? Sometimes you're not always right."

Laughter was heard behind them and they turned to see children playing tag. They stopped to see the crowd of heroes but they immediately began to cry out, "Highfather! Highfather!"

"H-How? This is a miracle!" rejoiced Highfather as he hugged the children.

"Forager found us and hid us in his hive!" informed the blonde girl and the League turned to see more Genesis residents walk up to them unharmed. A red man stepped out and bowed down to Highfather and said, "Forgive me, Highfather for being so bold."

"Rise, Forager," said Highfather, "You are one of us, an equal."

As the residents of New Genesis celebrated being alive, the League boarded the Javelin and left to finally rest. Bruce and Shayera sat in the back where subtle glances were made and light touches were passed between them. Superman was too preoccupied with the events that had passed to notice while Diana was finally getting her sleep in. J'onn again is the only one to notice and happily played ignorant to their light flirting: the good mood that was passed between them helped lighten up the ride home.

When they reached the Watchtower, Superman immediately left for Metropolis while Diana left to get more sleep in her room. Shayera and Bruce left for Gotham, where J'onn gave them a knowing smirk and teleported them away.

Alfred hummed a merry tune as he walked down the hallway, carrying a breakfast tray. He had heard Master Bruce come in and settle down for the night but he also heard a second pair of footsteps follow him into his bedroom. With a good mood, Alfred made breakfast and walked inside Master Bruce's bedroom to see Bruce and Shayera snuggled under the covers of his bed with only their tracksuits on, armors discarded on the floor. Alfred smiled and quietly left the tray on the bedside table, opening up the curtains and the window to allow fresh air into the room. Master Bruce only opened one eyelid and gave a small smile of thanks to Alfred who left the room in high spirits. Perhaps another bet with Masters Tim and Richard about possible engagements is at hand.

Shayera kept her tight hold on Bruce as he slept past noon. It worried her in the beginning when J'onn had taken off without Bruce or Clark, but he told her of Bruce's plan to use the Motherbox to get them to New Genesis safely. Shayera had full right to be angry but since time was so short, she forgave Bruce of his impromptu plan and instead focused on hoping for his safe return.

Shayera caressed Bruce's sleeping face and sighed, wondering just how hard she had fallen for the Dark Knight. She wrapped her wings around him to keep the breeze from waking him up and sighed again in contentment that they had a rare day for themselves. With Bruce Wayne still on 'vacation' and Shayera not needed at Midway, her police radio reporting small reports of crime that can be easily handled by the Midway City Police Department, Shayera nuzzled into his chest.

Bruce's arms held her tighter and one hand snaked up her shirt. Shayera smirked and looked up at his smiling face. Kissing him on the lips, Shayera removed her shirt and helped Bruce remove his as well. The two wouldn't be seen until later that night, freshly showered and giving each other one last kiss before heading back into their respective routines.

Shayera couldn't help but smile at her luck in finding herself such a mate. She would have thought more amorous thoughts on Bruce had it not been for the unexpected need to upchoke her stomach contents. Quickly landing below her in the National Park, Shayera removed her mask and held her hair back as she heaved out her dinner. Shayera's stomach continued to convulse until it finally stopped. She remained on the ground, unsure if she would still vomit but eventually she needed to rinse her mouth so she quickly flew towards the river.

Landing beside it, Shayera swished her mouth and scooped up water to splash on her face. Shayera took a few calming breaths, clutching at her mask with one hand and holding her head with the other. Shayera did her best to recall if she might have been infected by an unknown alien disease when a splash in the river caught her attention. A school of fish swam by and with her talon hand, Shayera snatched a fish out of the water and bit into it. Devouring the fish whole, Shayera snatched up another and another until she had her fill. Feeling better, Shayera rinsed her mouth again and put her mask on. Flying back to Midway, Shayera remained unaware of just how much her actions were based on instinct and that the new life developing within her will bring a whole new round of surprises for her.

 **2017! Hey readers, sorry for not updating. I was forced to visit family and didn't come back home until this morning where I spent hours on this chapter. Hopefully you all like and I can't wait to hear if you did or did not. Until next time, thank you so much for reading :)**


	26. Only a Dream

**Only a Dream**

It became apparent that something was wrong with Hawkgirl. The entire Midway City Police Department noticed the change in behavior to their alien detective. She was exhausted during the day and hyperactive during the night. Emmett swears that the woman has been awake for the last three days and knew that she will crash on them if she doesn't sleep now. Kendra also worried for her partner, knowing that when Shayera is tired she gets into two modes: cranky and irritable or quiet and sluggish. Right now, Shayera is cranky and pacing up and down the living room while visiting Kendra.

"There is absolutely no way I'm going to cover for you again." snarked Shayera into her communicator. Kendra felt sorry for the Flash on the other line but Shayera _did_ cover for him three days in a row already.

"No! I am already past the point of caring! Flash, you're a grown adult now start taking responsibility… oh you only had four hours to sleep last night? How about you try having _three days_ of no sleep and then tell me how exhausted you are!"

Kendra flinched at the acidity in Shayera's voice, her mask hiding her tired face but her body betraying her by how it's stiff and how Shayera often swayed on her feet as though she were going to fall.

Kendra rocked Junior in her arms, the one year old baby resisting sleep in order to be in the arms of his godmother. Junior absolutely loved it when his godmother was around. Kendra supposes it had to do with the wings that entertained him.

Speaking of wings, Kendra always did find it amusing that it poofs whenever she gets agitated. Right now, it looked like Shayera was almost encased with a large feathery blanket.

"No! Call Batman if you're that desperate for sleep but I can't guarantee that he will want to cover you."

With that, Shayera removed her mask to remove her earpiece and Kendra got a good look at how exhausted Shayera is. Her face was sunken in and pale, her eyes straining just to remain open, dark circles underneath her lids, and as Shayera placed the earpiece down, her movements were shaky.

"Girl, you're going to collapse in the middle of a case and I'm going to have to play hero for once to save your ass," said Kendra as Shayera tiredly rubbed her eyes, "go to sleep. Even my uncle will give you a free day if you can relax for a bit. You've not only completed all of the case lists given to you, you even covered for the Flash three days in a row up at your fancy satellite. Go to sleep."

"I have a shift at midnight-"

"-Bullshit! You are going to bed! Waller has deployed ARGUS agents around the city for training, the League has the Martian, and my uncle can do without one detective! Hurry up! I have a spare change of your pjs up in my room from the last time you slept over."

Shayera laughed at how mommy-like Kendra sounded but she supposes it came with the deal of having a baby.

"You're not going to let me leave are you?"

"No chance in hell. Andrew already knows I'm forcing you to stay."

"I guess I have no choice then." chuckled Shayera. Just as she was about to follow Kendra, the earpiece vibrated on the table.

"Don't you dare answer that." threatened Kendra.

"It's the League. It's probably an emergency."

"They can handle one mission without you can't they?"

"And if they can't? It's too risky to assume that they won't need me." said Shayera as she grabbed her earpiece.

"Hawkgirl here."

"Hawkgirl," came the voice of J'onn, "There has been a prison riot in Stryker's Island during a prisoner exchange and we have five dangerous prisoners on the loose. Diana is currently providing protection for the Kasnian Royal Family and we need you."

"Teleport me over at my go." said Shayera. She grabbed her mask and placed it on while reaching for her mace that was perched on top of the table.

"Shay." said Kendra, exasperated. She worried for her a lot. Shayera is her sister by bond who would often place herself in danger regardless of her own safety. Kendra would sometimes be held back by Andrew or her uncle when Shayera gets overwhelmed in battle. She manages to pull through in the end but not without bloody wounds. Kendra often wishes though that Shayera will eventually settle down for a bit, if only for her selfish wish to keep her sister alive a bit longer.

"Look, after this mission I'll sleep. I promise." said Shayera.

"Fine! Go be a hero! One of these days you need to settle down and actually enjoy life." said Kendra.  
"Well until that day happens, I'll still be knocking down thugs and saving the world." smirked Shayera. The boost of adrenaline that was pumping in her system was enough to keep her awake. She was teleported away from Kendra's home and was placed on top of the roof of the prison.

Already, Shayera could hear the yells of prisoners as they rushed around the courtyard as they tried to find an escape route. With the prison guards and Flash quickly containing them, Shayera didn't worry about the normal prisoners and instead decided to focus on the five high-level prisoners who escaped. Spreading her wings, Shayera soared above into the sky to get a better vantage point of where she was at. Spotting Superman from a distance, Shayera flew over to him and asked for a breakdown of the situation.

"Follow me," ordered Superman, "Luminous was seen escaping around the building. He might be trying to get to the roof in order to reach the helicopter."

"Had any other problems?" asked Shayera as she followed Superman.

"J'onn and I took care of Grundy when he tried to rampage his way out, "Lantern took care of Copperhead earlier and is currently dealing with Volcana and Firefly with Batman."

"Guys!" said Flash through the comm-link, "I'll cut off Luminous, you don't have to worry!"

"Flash wait!" ordered Shayera but he had his link disconnected and Shayera could only assume two things: 1) His comm-link is currently on the fritz for him not to respond or 2) Flash ran into trouble and couldn't respond. Sure enough, as she and Superman rounded around the building to access the situation they witnessed Flash receiving a beatdown from numerous Luminouses. Grunting at Flash's immaturity, Shayera gave a war cry and slammed her mace on the ground, creating an electric wave that dematerialized several of Luminous's clones while Superman quickly aided Flash in escaping Luminous's grasp.

"We only need to take out the real one!" ordered Superman.

"Which one?" asked Shayera as she heel-kicked a clone into another while using her wings as shield to cover her back. Superman used his infrared vision in order to determine where the Luminous is. As suspected, instead of escaping in the mayhem, Luminous allowed his ego to take control and stay to fight the League. The real Luminous was slowly making his way towards Shayera and Superman immediately flew towards the villain and grabbed him by the helm of his leotard. Reaching for his power cell, Superman easily crushed it in his hands. Afraid of his vulnerability, Luminous tried to make a run for it when he ran into Hawkgirl, who's mask made her glare seem deadly. Raising a closed fist, Hawkgirl knocked Luminous out with one swing and went to check on Flash.

"Guys," he replied groggily, "it's ok, I wore him down!"

Shayera and Superman gave each other a worried glance, before Superman bent down and said, "Flash, Luminous is taken care of."

"Sweet… teamwork! Uh… hey Shay." muttered Flash as soon as he noticed Shayera's angry glare.

"We are going to have a long talk about teamwork when we get back to the tower." It was all Shayera said as she flew back up into the air. Flash gave Superman a pleading look but the Man of Steel could only give him a pitying smile and flew after her, leaving a speedster to feel as though he is going to be sent to the Principal's office.

Shayera muttered to herself about having to always cover for Flash as she went towards where the flash of green was seen over the next building. Deciding to put Flash's immaturity behind her, Shayera watched from above as John took care of Volcana and Firefly simultaneously, cutting off their air supply by trapping them inside a conjured bubble. Batman was off to the side, tending to the injured security.

Shayera landed beside him and greeted him with a brush of her wing. To an outside observer, it would have looked like an innocent brush but between Bruce and Shayera it was a silent exchange of comfort. For Shayera, it is more primal than she realizes but nevertheless she sharpened her senses to focus on Bruce as he led her towards the team.

"Looks like that's it. The guards managed to round up the stragglers." said Superman, "I'll be heading towards Metropolis if any of you need me."  
"I need to be back home," said John as he powered up, "I only have a few hours to sleep so I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning."

"I'll just… be going on my way!" said Flash, attempting to speed away when Shayera immediately said, "You're not going back to Central City. J'onn, teleport us up to the Watchtower. If I have to stay up all night, you are too. You think you're so cool in taking down a dangerous man by yourself without assessing the situation first? You're going to finish your shift and learn how to handle your responsibilities."

With that, J'onn clicked on his belt to summon the auto-teleport and he teleported away along with Shayera and Flash, who seemed miserable at the knowledge of receiving a lecture from Shayera and having to stay up all night. John only chuckled at seeing the Flash cower before Hawkgirl as he flew away. Superman only glanced at Batman and said, "She takes after you a lot doesn't she?"

Superman flew away while Batman could only be secretly pleased that he wasn't the only member in the group to have his priorities straight. Shayera has been slowly becoming a part of his life in a way that he had hoped Selina would have been. Her presence in the major brought peace and lightness, and whenever she stayed the night it definitely made him a happy man. Batman was about to leave when he was approached by the prison warden.

"We seem to have a missing convict."

"Who?"

"A man by the name of John Dee," explained the warden as he led Batman to the security office, "We haven't been able to locate him after we discovered that he had broken into the ESP testing."

"Why do you have an ESP testing facility inside inside a prison?" questioned Batman.

"Where else can we get volunteers to participate in an experimental machine?"

The Warden and Batman reached the security office where the warden played the tape. Batman watched as a plain man shoved his way into the scientist's office and knocked him out. Stealing the keys, John Dee made a run outside the room. The warden plaited another tape that showed Dee walking into the room and approaching the machine. Strapping himself into the machine, Dee turned the power to its fullest and a bright light engulfed the room until the force of the power sit the cameras down.

"We haven't found a body so we know that Dee survived."

"We will keep an eye out for him." promised Batman and he left for Gotham to begin his search or the missing convict.

As Batman made his way home, Flash was on the receiving end of Shayera's ire at the Watchtower.

"You are the fastest man alive," said Shayera, pacing up and down in front of Flash as he sat like a small child in his chair. J'onn stood the side with an amused expression on his face as Shayera continued her lecture, "You need to assess the situation first before you head on in. Being fast isn't enough to guarantee a victory."

"It works for Superman." muttered Flash to his mistake. When Shayera sharply turned her head to glare at him, he shrank into his seat.

"It works for him because he has enhanced senses and invulnerability! Superman's already assessed the situation thirty miles away! Don't you think how we'd feel if we were to lose you?"

Shayera's voice cracked at the end, causing Flash to feel horrible. Speeding up to his best friend, he hugged her and promised, "I won't do it again. I swear."

Shayera hugged Flash back and muttered, "You're a lucky knucklehead."

"I know," laughed Flash, "it's part of my charm."

Shayera only shook her head as Flash sped off to get more coffee, and sat down on the Monitor Chair to rub her weary eyes. She heard J'onn chuckle beside her and said, "You know you could've added your own input right?"

"You handled it very well," said J'onn, "I sense that you are going through several emotions but your thoughts still elude me."

"I don't know what's wrong with me J'onn," said Shayera, "it's been three nights since I've last had a good night's rest."

"Perhaps Batman may be of assistance?"

"No, I don't want to bother him with this. It's not the first time I've had several nights of no sleep… where's Flash? He's never this late with coffee."

Shayera and J'onn left the Monitor Womb to investigate. Entering the cafeteria, Shayera could only shake her head at seeing the spilled coffee cup and a sleeping hero on top the counter.

"I'm leaving him there. If I have to cover for him another night then he can wake up uncomfortable for all I care."

J'onn chuckled and followed Shayera outside to the Monitor Womb.

Bruce was asleep in his chair, a blanket around him after Alfred had discovered him hours after searching for Dee. Superman in his Clark Kent personal was happily reading the article he wrote for the Daily Planet about the prison break before retiring to bed. John was staring outside his apartment at his old neighborhood, nostalgic memories of himself and his grandmother before he went to sleep, getting himself ready to wake up early for Monitor Duty in the morning. Flash continued sleeping on the kitchen counter while Shayera and J'onn remained on Monitor Duty. All unaware of the invading power of John Dee.

Hours passed by and Shayera could feel her body rebel against her mind. She is exhausted but her mind remained hyperactive. Shayera sighed and tried to figure out what is wrong with her. Her sickness passed after two days so it can't be that, she is now an emotional train where she is quick to angrily start fights or break down in regret. Her diet also changed, where she doesn't like eating cooked food anymore and instead eats her fish raw.

Shayera struggled to try and figure out when J'onn spoke, "Flash is experiencing trouble."

Quickly following him to the cafeteria, Shayera and J'onn witnessed Flash fidgeting on the counter, whimpers escaping his lips as he suddenly convulsed and also other fell if J'onn hadn't caught him.

"Call the others, I'll take Flash to the medical wing." said J'onn. Shayera quickly flew down to the Monitor Womb and quickly called Bruce. No answer. She tried several times but no answer. Calling John, she got the same response: nothing. When Superman didn't answer, Shayera knew that something is wrong.

"J'onn! I need you to teleport me to John, Superman, and Batman's location!"

"What is wrong?"

"Nobody is responding! I need to check on them!"

J'onn phased down from the medical wing to the Monitor Womb. Shayera stepped on the teleportation pad as J'onn locked the coordinates to Superman's home. Shayera felt the familiar whirl around her before she stood in Superman's living room.

"Superman?" whispered Shayera, "Clark?"

Cautiously walking around the clean apartment, Shayera focused her hearing and managed to make out grunts of fear and pain coming from upstairs. Flying up, Shayera landed outside the door and opened it to reveal Clark sweating and tossing and turning in his bed.

"Clark!" yelled Shayera. Taking care of staying out of his reach, Shayera analyzed him from afar.

"J'onn, I need you to teleport me and Clark up to the tower."

Quickly gripping his shoulder, Shayera was teleported up with Superman who began to thrash about. One of his flailing arms knocked Shayera on her arm, causing her to cry out in pain as he dislodged her shoulder.

Gritting her teeth, Shayera avoided his flailing limbs and cried out into her comm-link, "J'onn! I need help!"

J'onn phased through the walls and using his quickly helped Shayera restrain Superman.

"Clark! Wake up!" screamed Shayera, terrified of how close Superman was to decapitating her with one swipe of his hand. J'onn was able to Superman restrained long enough to quickly guide him to the Medical Wing where Flash was already inside an incubator, sedated. Superman calmed down after being placed inside the incubator and Shayera stayed still long enough for J'onn to reset her shoulder.

"Teleport me to Detroit, and send me back up as soon as I call. Hopefully John doesn't wear his ring to bed." said Shayera. A teleportation later, Shayera stood inside John's small apartment and heard him in his bedroom groaning. Quickly making her way towards him, she witnessed him convulsing in bed as well and quickly lifted him up and called J'onn. After securing John in his own incubator, Shayera asked to be sent directly at Wayne Manor, knowing J'onn already knew Batman's secret identity.

Teleported outside his home, Shayera quickly made her way inside and startled Alfred.

"Oh my!" he exclaimed, "Miss Shayera? It's the late hour!"

Ignoring him, Shayera quickly ran down to the batcave, Alfred keeping up with her to see what the emergency was. Shayera felt her heart pound in anxiety and fear as she descended deeper into the batcave. It was the prone figure of Bruce sitting in his chair that made Shayera feel her heart stop. Landing in front of him, kneeling to get a better look of his face, Shayera removed his cowl to see his peaceful face asleep.

"Bruce," she whispered as she shook him gently, "Bruce wake up."

Nothing. Shayera shook harder and said a little louder, "Bruce!"

Her hearts were speeding up and Shayera had to step away from Bruce to stop herself from shaking him in near hysterics. Her primal instincts were taking over again, a need to avenge her mate. Bruce is still breathing which is good, but she needs to get him to J'onn.

"Miss? What's wrong with Master Bruce?" asked Alfred shakily. Shayera turned to him and removed her helmet. She is not speaking to the kind man as an officer but as a friend.  
"I don't know Alfred but I will help Bruce with every ounce of my being." promised Shayera.

"Does this have to do with the escaped convict from Stryker's Island?"

"What prisoner?"

"Master Bruce has been doing extensive research in the man earlier tonight. Here."

Alfred pulled up the files on the computer and Shayera glanced at them quickly and said, "I'll be back Alfred. I need to let Bruce be checked by J'onn J'onzz."

"Please Miss," said Alfred quietly, "Bring him back."

"I will."

Shayera carefully wrapped Bruce's arm around her shoulders and carried him away from the computer and spoke in her comm-link, "J'onn, teleport now."

Back at the Watchtower, Shayera watched as J'onn place Bruce in his own incubation bed alongside Lantern, Flash, and Superman. J'onn stood still as his eyes glowed and Shayera waited patiently to the side. Noticing the tv on, Shayera turned the volume a little up to hear what the reporter is saying.

"Escaped convict John Dee is still at large. Dee's ex-wife has died after several hours of being in a catatonic state in the hospital, leading many to believe that Dee may have been involved."

Shayera turned the tv off to see J'onn move after mentally examining all four heroes.

"He's managed to have fix himself in all their minds, trying to get revenge on the Justice League." said J'onn as he exited his friends' minds.

"Who?" asked Shayera.

"John Dee. Except from what I've managed to grasp from his mind, he's calling himself Doctor Destiny." said J'onn.

"Revenge?"

"I need to pull them out of their sleep before Dee manages to completely break their minds."

"Ok, I'll go on the search for Dee then. If he needs to focus in order to pull his mental attacks, then he needs to go somewhere safe for his body." said Shayera. She wobbled a little as she took a step towards the door, leading J'onn to ask, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a little tired. Nothing to worry about."

"I will teleport you then to Earth."

"Teleport me to the Batcave. Bruce made research already into where Dee might be hiding."

A quick teleport later, Shayera was sitting where Bruce sat and was going through his files of John Dee. A lackluster man who never achieved anything in his life without swindling others. Opening up a file of his arrest, Shayera read how Diana and J'onn were the ones to have apprehended Dee in his attempt to launder money using LexCorps as a cover. His criminal activity landed him a life-time in jail and his ex-wife signing the divorce papers a week later.  
Shayera could only sigh in relief that Diana was currently serving as a guard for the royal family of Kasnia and that J'onn had a prolific mind guard. Shayera wondered if she would have been taken over too, but if J'onn couldn't penetrate her mind then neither can Dee.

Shayera stood and experienced another dizzy spell. Gripping the chair for support, Shayera fought to stay up. Her vision blurred in and out. Taking deep breaths, Shayera recomposed herself and glanced up to see Alfred giving her a worried look.  
"Miss? Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Alfred. I'll rest after we catch Dee."

"If I may, Miss Shayera. Would you be comfortable in allowing me to run an examination of your blood?"

"Why? I'm not sick." insisted Shayera.

"It's just a precaution, Miss Shayera. Master Bruce has emergency files on all members of the League in the event a dangerous virus might overtake you. Do you recall your first brush with an earth-born virus? You were fighting the common fever and it almost killed you."

Shayera could remember and was forever thankful of Bruce's quick thinking. She sighed and relented in allowing Alfred to draw some blood for her and she went on her way to track down Dee.

Flying above the clouds, Shayera thought through every possible scenario and concluded that she is going to need help. Smirking at the thought of waking up Kendra, Shayera also decided that it doesn't hurt to involve ARGUS for this mission since most of the League was incapacitated.

 **J'onn**

After Shayera had left, J'onn took a deep breath and focused his mind as he entered into Superman's dream. J'onn worried for him the most, knowing how vulnerable the Man of Steel feels about his place on Earth. It is with certainty that Dee will try to break him first.

J'onn was taken from the Watchtower Hospital to a burning building. Unnerved, J'onn flew up and out of the building to see that it is the Daily Planet. Looking around, the entire city of Metropolis was burned to the ground but J'onn ignored the bodies on the ground and flew towards where Superman's signature was emitting. J'onn focused his mind and managed to make the entire city of Metropolis disappear beneath him and the city of Smallville appeared. J'onn flew towards a barn near a small home, deducing that this must be Superman's childhood home. He walked into the open barn to see a spaceship resting against the far side of the wall. He walked over to see a large and deformed Superman cowering in the ship.

"Superman, none of this is real." said J'onn, placing a hand on Superman's shoulder for comfort.

"No!" cried out Superman, "You'll get hurt! Stay back!"

Recognizing that Superman is experiencing his worst-case scenario, J'onn explained, "What you are experiencing is just a nightmare. None of this is real."

Placing his hands on Superman's head, J'onn continued, "Allow me to show you."

It took all his energy to get Superman out of his fear, it was strong and J'onn hoped he didn't experience this much resistance with the others. He could feel Dee attempt to keep J'onn away from a distance, not wanting to reveal himself to Superman in order to make the Man of Steel believe that he is experiencing reality. J'onn pushed through though until a breakthrough: J'onn managed to push enough information into Superman's mind about John Dee that Superman released a large heat ray in anger. The force of the blast was enough to force J'onn to pull back as the barn exploded. Looking up in shock, J'onn smiled as Superman flew down to him, no longer deformed.

"Thanks J'onn." said Superman gratefully. He would have surely fallen into despair if not for his good friend.

J'onn nodded with a smile when a large shadow fell upon them. Looking up, they both saw a large figure with a skeleton face wearing a purple hood and matching robe stand above them.

"None of you are escaping this nightmare." he threatened.

"You're inside my head," said Superman, "You don't run things here."

J'onn and Superman flew up to his level and began to fight. With Superman using his strength and heat vision to fight and J'onn using his own strength and mental powers, Dee didn't stand a chance. Knocking him down on top of the cornfield, Superman pinned Dee down with his heat vision, using his own dreamscape to change the yellow sun into a blue sun. With more energy now radiating onto him, Superman's heat vision doubled in power. Dee tried to swat him out of the sky but it was like trying to spike a sharp nail down. Instead of falling, Superman remained in the air.

J'onn had to give it to Clark for knowing about how to control his dreamscape. It made the battle much easier for them. Using their combined strengths, J'onn and Superman punched Dee in the jaw and effectively forced him out of Superman's head.

"Thanks a bunch, J'onn," said Superman as he slowly repaired his mindscape, "I don't know where I'd be in the real world if I had let Dee take over."

"It was a good thing, then, that Shayera was able to deduce the attacks quickly." said J'onn, "After Flash, Shayera quickly went for the rest of you."

"Dee is after the League? What about Diana? Does she know what's going on?"

"I messaged her to remain with the Royal Family while Shayera and I work to locate and stop Dee."

"He knows my identity." said Superman, realizing that Dee would have read his mind to torture him the way he did.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." said J'onn, "First we need to help Lantern, Flash, and Batman."

"Alright," said Superman, "Lead the way."

J'onn made a doorway of light appear so they could easily cross into John's mind.

As they flew through, they were instantly transported from Smallville to Detroit. Looking around, the entire street was empty. The dark street was only illuminated by a distant green light. Flying towards that direction, Superman and J'onn were overhead as they watched Dee talk with a fading John Stewart. In front of them was a large Green Lantern.

"John!" cried out Superman, interrupting whatever lies Dee was telling John, "It's just a dream He's trying to delude you!"

"Stay out of this!" cried out Dee as he grew back into a giant and began to beat J'onn and Superman back and away from the Lantern. Being in the Lantern's mind gave Dee the opportunity to take down Superman and hopefully the Martian. He already began to push the Lantern into the giant Green Lantern, his fear of losing his humanity an easy to manipulate fear. After all, he almost got Superman with it had it not been for the damn Martian.

This time though, Dee could feel a better control over his powers now that he doesn't have to split himself into another form. Easily capturing Superman in one fist, he cackled as the 'oh-so-mighty' Man of Steel struggled to break free. Dee gleefully mocked, "We're not in your head anymore thickhead. You hold no power here."

"But I do." said J'onn as he shifted into a dragon and bit into Dee's hand. Dee cried out in pain as he shook his hand, trying to get rid of him. J'onn knew though he had a bit more power than Dee, but it still wasn't enough to overpower him since he needs to hold Superman's and his own mental signature inside John's mind.

John's fear is very akin to Superman's fear of not belonging but it was more personal as John Stewart was raised knowing he is human and therefore is afraid to lose that connection.

"John! You must seek within yourself!" yelled J'onn as he continued his battle with Dee, "You have friends here who care about you and don't ask for anything more from you. The ring doesn't make John Stewart: YOU DO!"

The fading John seemed to flicker into existence and ran into the giant Green Lantern. Dee caught attention of this and began to laugh maniacally.

His laughter was short lived when the giant lantern exploded. John flew out from the explosion, invigorated and more sure in himself than ever. Dee could only gawk in disbelief when he was hit from behind by J'onn and Superman broke free from his hold. The Green Lantern blasted at Dee with more power than was typically normal, obviously the Lantern already regaining control of his mind. Dee tried for one last effort and materialized the model Mari in the street.

"John!" cried out the manifestation, "Leave! You don't belong here!"

"Nice try," growled John as he created a large wrecking ball construct and whacked Dee down to the ground,"As if my baby girl will ever tell me that."

Dee growled in frustration as he lost his hold on the Lantern's mind, allowing him to form a bubble shield around the villain and hold him down.

"Can we wake up now?" asked John as Superman and J'onn landed next to him.

"This is far from over." warned Dee as he faded out of John's mind.

"We need to get Flash and Batman." said J'onn.

"Then let's go." said Superman as J'onn opened up another doorway towards Flash's mind. As they entered into his dream, they were in Central City… but nothing was moving. As they floated down to where an agonized Flash was zooming around. When he spotted them, his grin was short-lived. J'onn could see him vibrate out of existence and quickly read through his mind. Flash's fear of moving so fast that the world will stop moving would make things more difficult for J'onn, as Dee now only has to focus on Flash and Batman.

Quickly realizing that this is a battle Flash has to win by himself, J'onn called out, "You must look inside yourself!"

"What do you mean?" asked Flash as he was quickly fading away.

"Look inside yourself!" cried out J'onn again before Flash completely vanished. The three heroes landed on the sidewalk and watched as the world began to move for them.

"Do you think the kid got the message?" asked John.

"I can sense him," said J'onn, his eyes glowing as he felt for Flash but noticed Dee's invisible presence, "Dee is attempting to discourage him."

"Come on kid." muttered John. It is no secret that as the youngest member of the group, Flash was like the little brother to everyone. Superman had his arms crossed and his jaw set as he watched J'onn continue to link himself up with Flash. It was difficult trying to get them into Flash's bubble but with Dee stronger, he couldn't do it. Five minutes passed and they were starting to get worries when out of nowhere, Flash materialized in front of them. He was sitting down and smiled as a kid skated by and a couple waved at him.

"I did it!" he pronounced proudly, quickly getting up on his feet.

"See what happens when you use your head?" teased John, relieved that Flash didn't succumb to Dee's power.

"IDIOTS!" cried out Dee as he returned as another rampaging giant, "NONE OF YOU ARE EVER LEAVING!"

"Big toe." called out Flash.

"Gut." said John.

"Face." said Superman.

J'onn turned himself into a giant to match Dee's size and started to combat him hand-to-hand. Dee was frustrated, everything was working well for him. He had the Flash, Lantern, and the great Man of Steel in his grasp when the damn Martian intervened.

His frustrations were his undoing however, distracted by his rage, as Dee was knocked down by the combined strength of the four heroes. He faded into the cracks of the street however, intent on fully breaking the Bat.

"Alright! Teamwork! What a concept!" cheered Flash.

"Let's get to Batman quickly." said J'onn.

"I'm surprised Batman has succumbed to Dee." said John.

"From what I have gathered from Dee's mind the few times he was vulnerable… he's actually having a difficult time locating Batman." said J'onn.

"What?" asked Flash, surprised. J'onn opened up the portal into Batman's mind and they walked in hesitantly. It is no surprise that Batman is quite possibly the most intimidating member of the League, where even Superman doesn't want to know what Batman's mind is like.

As they entered into Batman's mind. They were instantly transported into a Gotham alleyway. The night sky was cloudy and the streetlights offered little to no light. Looking around, Superman spotted the street sign that named their location as Crime Alley. Eyes widening at the mention of the name, Superman immediately focused his senses to hear around the city. Having had to portray as Bruce when he went missing one time, Superman knew already how dangerous the criminals of Gotham are. The Joker himself came close to killing Superman at one point along with Scarecrow and Poison Ivy.

"WHERE ARE YOU!? SHOW YOURSELF!" came the voice of Dee. Running and flying down the alley towards where Dee is, they passed more alley ways and more until they realized that they entered a maze inside the city.

"I have to admit, this is a bit too elaborate," said J'onn as they passed by Wayne Tower for the fifth time, "Normally I stay out of all your minds out of respect, but the few times Batman has allowed me to enter his mind for missions… even I don't want to stay there too long."

"Any idea on how to cut through this maze?" asked Flash.

"Follow me." came a voice. Turning around, they found Nightwing casually leaning against the building.

"Uhhhh. You can take us to Batman?" asked John.

"He's waiting for you." said Nightwing as he scaled the building with his acrobatic skills. Flash ran up the side of the building while the others flew behind them. As they moved between the buildings, they noticed how the structures began to tower them, even when flying it seemed like the skyline was close to the atmosphere.

"So how much longer?" asked Flash.

"Had to take the long route," explained Nightwing, "Hostile Invader in the mind has everything on lockdown. He knows that the Martian was going to help though."

"Oh.. neat." said Flash as they continued to follow the young hero. With many turns around the city, they finally made it to their location: Wayne Manor.  
"Uhhh, Batman is hiding here?" asked Flash.

"Follow me." was all Nightwing said as he led them towards the cliffs. They entered through a secret tunnel where they were left at the foot of the stairs. Nightwing motioned for them to stay as he walked up the stairs. They waited in silence and just when Flash was about to crack a joke about bats and caves, Batman entered from above the stairs.

"About time you all showed up." he said.

"Nice to see you too." smiled Superman, relieved that his best friend had everything under control.

"Dee underestimated my self-control." said Batman.

"Well now that the gang's all here, any plans?" asked Flash.

"Do you know where Dee is?" asked John.

"I have him running around in circles near Arkham Asylum. I was waiting for backup to show up so we can finally take him down."

"Nightwing, is he-"

"-A fragmentation based on the real life one," explained Batman, "When it became clear that Dee had invaded my mind, I had to quickly form my own backup until J'onn knew what was going on."

"Thank Shayera for it," said J'onn, "She was able to quickly deduce what was happening and rounded all of you up at the Watchtower."

"I owe her a drink then." smiled Flash.

"Same here." agreed John.

"How is she?" asked Batman. Being inside his mind gave J'onn a better feeling to just how much Batman loves Shayera.

"She is hunting Dee's body down. She believes that while he makes his mental attacks, he needs to keep his body somewhere safe."

"Good. Then how about you say we hunt down a psychic psycho?" asked Superman.

"What do we do when we have him though?" asked Flash,"He knows our identities."

"We'll figure it out." reassured Batman.

The trip to Arkham was short, this time Batman leading the way and instead of taking the long way had taken them through the shortcuts. As they neared the asylum, Dee was back as a giant but had taken the grotesque appearance of most of Batman's Rogues.

"There you are!" jeered Dee. He snarled when he spotted the other League members behind the Bat. Batman was truly a formidable foe, right up there with the Martian. Spending so much time hunting him down and now that he appears it has to be with the League. Dee was getting a large headache. First fighting the League within his own head and physically having to hold off the damn Hawkgirl and her squad. It is frustrating.

The combined efforts of the League was getting to him. Within Batman's own mind, he was suddenly assaulted with not just the League but Batman's own fragments that take the form of his own little Bat Family. As he mentally fought on, he could feel the burning sensation of Hawkgirl's mace scrape against his back and he realizes now that he can only focus on one thing. Deciding that he may as well take on the weaker group, Dee gave his final word to the Justice League.

"I'll make sure that I can take one of you down with me at least." snarled Dee before he left Batman's mind. Feeling that he had left all of their minds, J'onn quickly pulled them out of their sleep. As he returned to his body, J'onn watched as his friends woke up from their sleep.  
"Ok. I'll never again complain about night shift again." promised Flash.

"We need to find and capture Dee. Do you know where Hawkgirl is?" asked Superman.

"The tracer in her comm-link should be operational." said John as he flew towards the Monitor Womb. The others trailed behind him and watched as the computer screen showed Hawkgirl's location at LexCorps.

"Let's go." said Superman. They entered the Zeta Tube and were teleported outside one of the warehouses of LexCorps. They were met with the sight of cops and paramedics and Batman quickly ran into the warehouse. Several ARGUS Agents were moaning on the floor, gripping their heads in pain. As he walked in deeper into the building, he saw Detective Kendra Grubbs and her husband off to the side, worried looks on their faces.

"What happened?" demanded Batman harshly.

"No worries, Bat," came the voice of Amanda Waller, "Dee managed to hit her with a powerful tranquilizer."

"Her armor should have protected her."

"Had she not been distracted in taking the hit for Flagg here, then maybe she could have avoided it. Her alien biology is what saved her in the end. A tranq like that would have knocked any grown man into a comatose state. She's only asleep."

"What about Dee?"

"Dead as a doornail," came her blunt reply, "After he was distracted, Flagg made the call and ended his telepathic attack on the team. We'll be taking his body back to base for research."

"I'm taking her to the Watchtower." said Batman as he lifted Shayera into his arms with ease and looked at J'onn. He used his comm-link to connect to the Zeta beam and teleported them away to the Watchtower.

"She's just sleeping right?" asked Flash anxiously.

"We'll find out out soon enough." said J'onn as he helped Batman set up the bed for Shayera. Removing her armor to better allow the medical equipment to evaluate her, Bruce took her mask off gently to show her peaceful but tired face.  
"She has been up three days non stop with no sleep." said J'onn.

"Call it a saving grace then that the tranq managed to calm her down." said John.

"I'll need to bring some files from my lab to determine Sh-... Hawkgirl's possible illness." said Bruce, catching himself from appearing unprofessional. The others didn't notice thankfully and he waited for J'onn to teleport him to the cave.

When he rematerialized, an anxious butler was reading over some papers when he noticed the arrival.

"Master Bruce! How are you feeling?" asked Alfred.

"I'm fine Alfred," reassured Bruce, "Shayera is knocked down though, I'll need to grab some files."

"Oh my," said Alfred worriedly, "I hope the baby is alright."

Silence. Bruce could only stare at Alfred's worried face when he removed his cowl that showed his confusion.

"W-... Ba-... Alfred… Baby?"

"Yes, I asked Miss Shayera for a blood sample in order to determine what might be causing her insomnia and results are in… Miss Shayera is pregnant Master Bruce… congratulations." said Alfred, unsure what the response might be.

Bruce was silent and calm on the outside but on the inside… hope and fear. Quickly gathering the files, Bruce called J'onn for a teleportation and appeared at the Watchtower.

"Whoa, Bats… you're mask." said Flash, "Wait… you're Bruce Wayne!?"

"No shit Sherlock," teased John, "Was it that the Batcave was at Wayne Manor that tipped you off?"

"Fuck off Watson." grouched Flash.

Bruce ignored them and continued towards the medical wing. Each step felt heavy, a crushing weight was on his heart. What kind of a father will he be? Does Shayera even want the baby? That's actually a stupid question, knowing how much Shayera wanted to have children of her own. More questions clouded his mind as he entered the medical wing where Superman and J'onn were quietly discussing about the night's events.

"Have you found anything?" asked Superman.

"... she's pregnant." said Bruce, walking towards Shayera's sleeping form and sat down beside her. Superman's jaw was hung open while J'onn briefly scanned Bruce's mind to find out how he knew.

"I assume she doesn't know?" asked J'onn.

At Bruce's head shake, Superman asked, "Wait. If she doesn't know then how to do you know?"

"Alfred had asked her earlier for a blood sample to help figure out why she couldn't sleep."

"You let her go to the Batcave without you supervising? I'm your best friend and I'm not even allowed to do that unless one of your teammates is there to watch me!" pouted Superman.

"What kind of a man would I be Clark if I didn't allow the mother of my child to have access to information she might need?"

",,,,,,, _your child_?" asked Clark. This night went from nightmarish to straight up surprising.

"Yes, Clark. My child."

"C-Congratulations." he said weakly. Never in a million years would he have guessed that Shayera and Bruce were an item.

"We can only wait to tell her then." said J'onn as he went over Bruce's files to determine if Shayera might need medication.

"Things are about to get very interesting." mused Clark. Of course, the first thing that came to mind is that he is, for sure, the godfather.

 **Hey readers, so being an adult sucks and being a responsible adult sucks even more but it pays the bills :) I'm sorry for not updating sooner but I'm going to try to fix that pronto. Please leave reviews about the chapter :) I'm very excited to write about what I have planned next :) until the next chapter, thanks for reading :)**


	27. Tabular Rasa

**Tabular Rasa**

Shayera moaned as she slowly got up from her bed. She didn't want to get up at all, this was the best sleep she has ever had in a long time since getting sick. As she got up, she realized she wasn't alone and that she wasn't at her bedroom apartment in Midway.

Diana and Bruce were at her bedside, one smiling at her and the other a grim frown. Shayera wanted to roll her eyes at Bruce's mask but instead smiled at Diana and asked, "How was bodyguard duties?"

"Stressing. Vandal Savage has returned."

"What?!" Shayera leapt from her bed but almost collapsed on her knees had it not been for Bruce's quick catch. Turning to face him, Shayera noticed a grim aura surround him. Thinking that it had to do with Vandal Savage's return, Shayera faced Diana again and asked, "What happened?"

Diana began to retell her adventure of protecting the Princess of Kasnia and how Savage nearly mounted an orbital weapon using the country's defenses.

"I'm going to scan you for anymore abnormalities. You're battle with John Dee left you in a sleep coma for a week." said Bruce.  
"A WEEK! I'm missing work! Emmett is going to kill me!" Shayera bounded off the bed again before she was restrained by both Amazon and Dark Knight.

"What are you doing? I feel fine!"

"Shayera! Stop! You might hurt the baby!" yelled Diana. Bruce wanted to slap duct tape over the Amazon's mouth for her forwardness but it at least shocked Shayera into holding still long enough to be placed back on the bed.

"..."

"Shayera?" Diana worriedly looked into her shocked friend's face. Shayera had a look of disbelief and confusion on her face that Diana turned to Bruce to see if he could help. He nodded and walked towards them, Diana leaving the room in order to give the couple their privacy. It truly was a head turner when Superman informed her of Batman and Shayera's relationship reveal.

Shayera remained sitting on the bed as Bruce approached her, removing his cowl as he sat next to her. His appearance next to her triggered her paralyzed mind to finally function with the new information. How far along is she? How is it even possible for a human and a Thanagarian to conceive? How is the child going to be raised? What is she going to name it? Why the fuck is Bruce so calm about this?

"Shayera, what do you know about Thanagarian pregnancies?" His eyes were hard but comforting, needing information in order to help her and their baby. Shayera shook her head and tried to remember her mother's pregnancy when her brother was born.

"I… I don't know." Her admittance made everything seem all the more dangerous to Bruce, who immediately went to the medical computers and began to diagnose Shayera's condition. Shayera watched him work, her hands unconsciously rubbing her stomach as she began to think about her work. How can she fight crime pregnant?

"You're to stay in the Watchtower or the Batcave until this is over." ordered Bruce. It wasn't that what he said didn't make sense, but how he said it that struck a nerve in Shayera.  
"Don't dictate me in what I should do."

"It's not just you now that I worry about. There is a child- _our child_ -that is growing inside of you, this is no time for you to start thinking that you can get back into battle."

"That's where I'm going to have to stop you," sniped Shayera, jumping from the bed, "I don't know much about Thanagarian pregnancies, but I do recall my mother never having to stay at home while pregnant with my brother as she was out excavating in dangerous ruins."

"That is completely different Shayera, your mother is an archeologist not an officer and crime fighter who constantly puts her life on the line."

"Thanagar is an unforgiving world! It doesn't matter what your career, it only matters if you are strong enough to survive outside your own home!"

"This is not Thanagar! This is Earth!"

"There is no difference!"

Both looked at each other, angry at how this was panning out. Bruce knew that Shayera didn't like being treated as delicate but he cannot believe she is being this stubborn about the safety of their child. Shayera was angry plain and simple. Whether it be the hormones or just how she is being treated, Shayera will not let Bruce tell her how to be with the pregnancy.

"I have already made it clear to the League that you will not be sent out on any missions." Shayera's eyes flashed in anger while Bruce remained firm in his stance.

"Fine." Shayera walked out of the medical wing, intending to walk out when Bruce called out again, "I have also informed Commissioner Emmett about your pregnancy."

"You stay out of my affairs!"

"You are carrying my child as well Shayera! If you don't think practically then I'll do it for you!"

Shayera marched over to the warp pad and typed in the coordinates to Midway City. Before teleporting away, the last she saw was Bruce's eyes narrowed at her.

Bruce stood at the entrance of the Monitor Womb, angry that Shayera wasn't going to be thinking straight. Debating whether or not he should follow her, he almost didn't hear J'onn walk up from behind him. His footsteps loud and clear on purpose as the usually silent Martian stood next to Bruce, eyes questioning.  
"She's a stubborn bird." Bruce walked towards the computer, intending to follow after Shayera.  
"Perhaps it would be best if I went instead. If I know Shayera well, she'll only close up further if you attempted to continue your argument."

"Can you make her see reason?" asked Bruce, wondering how the Martian could try to get through Shayera.

"She's just angry, she'll eventually calm down."

"So how does you going be different from me going?"

"You going will only remind her why she was angry in the first place."

Bruce nodded in agreement and teleported J'onn towards Midway City. It would only be moments later that he would receive a call from Superman, informing him of Luthor's escape. Quickly calling in Diana from her day off, he teleported away, leaving Lantern in charge of the Watchtower.

J'onn J'onzz never spent enough time among humans that weren't his friends so when he appeared in an alleyway in the heart of Midway City, he quickly morphed himself into a human and walked amongst the crowd, unnoticed. So many voices entered his head as he tried to locate where Shayera might've gone. Thoughts of lust, love, crime, and hate entered his head, shocking him as he mixed among the human race. Trying to identify one source of crime would lead him to more crimes being thought by the humans. Stricken with shock, he quickly attempted to block out their thoughts when he finally came across the mind of one George Emmett.

 _Damn it Shayera just listen to me!_

Quickly making his way towards the police station, he heard the thoughts of George Emmett and another, Kendra Grubbs.

 _Oh my God, just let her talk Tio._

J'onn entered the police station and quickly made himself transparent before he walked through the walls, invisible to the police as he made his way towards the Commissioner's office. As he neared the office, he didn't need his mind reading abilities to hear the conversation.

"Don't you dare tell me what I can or can't do!"

"I'm your boss! You think I allowed Kendra out and about when she had Junior?"

"She's human! My body is made to fight even while pregnant!"

"Gee what a distinction." said Kendra wryly as she leaned against the wall. It was Andrew's day off so he was over with her Tia Alice and Junior, which left her alone with her partner and Uncle.

"Shayera, you have to understand that here on Earth, pregnant women run the risk of miscarriages and difficult birth if they are placed in extreme and stressful situations! I cannot in good feeling allow you to continue with the police work until you're no longer pregnant and until your baby is of a decent age to be without its mother."

Shayera growled and stormed out of the office, irritated at the world and needing space. Ignoring Kendra's calls, Shayera marched out of the Police Station and flew towards the National Park, intending to find some solace.

J'onn followed her and morphed into a hawk, flying above her as he gladly left the city behind where he can no longer read the hidden disturbing minds of the masses. Despite not being able to hear Shayera's mind, he can still sense her distress. As she landed in the forest an hour later, he stayed behind and watched as she sat down in the middle of a clearing. Wondering why, he couldn't think about how best to approach her when a wild hawk attacked him.

The loud screeching brought Shayera's attention as she watched her hawk friend attack an intruder and try to chase him away from his territory. Imagine her surprise when J'onn phased out of his form.

"Friend, he means no harm." called out Shayera.

J'onn watched in amazement as the wild hawk finally left him alone before flying back up to his perch, another hawk sitting in a nest.

"She's on her final days of incubation. They both hunted earlier today to be ready for their chick to hatch." Shayera walked over to J'onn and helped him up. Curiously, he glanced over towards the nest. The female was sitting on the nest while the male stood by protectively, ready for any type of danger. Looking at Shayera, he could see that she was exhausted and that her left hand was settling on her stomach, obviously still thinking about her pregnancy.

"How do you feel?"

"You mean how I am carrying a child and just found out the minute I woke up? I'm… still processing."

"You know we only have the best interest for you when we agreed not to put you through any missions."

Shayera only sighed and walked away, her wings sagging a bit. J'onn followed her and heard the hawk follow them from behind, perhaps to make sure the Martian doesn't harm the Thanagarian.

"I never knew you could communicate well with hawks." J'onn lifted his arm up and allowed the hawk to perch on it. Its piercing eyes looked into his as J'onn tried to read its mind. Nothing.

"It's not just hawks. I am able to talk with all of the avian species. It helps out plenty when Kendra and I are sent into investigations. The birds tell me everything they see." Shayera watched as the hawk flew back to his nest, not wanting to waste more time away from his family. She rubbed her stomach again as she thought about her child. If only she could make them see that she can still fight. She's not invalid.

"They only worry for you." sad J'onn.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind?"

"It doesn't take a mind reader to understand where your thoughts are."

"It's just… on Thanagar, women are not invalids. We can still fight, research, work. Pregnancies don't last long anyways. We have a 6 month clock before the baby is due."

"You must keep in mind that you aren't carrying a full-bred Thanagarian. Your child is a hybrid."

"It's… I can't think about it." Shayera's feathers were unconsciously poofing out, a sign of distress. She sat down on a fallen tree and hunched over, appearing like a feathered-ball as her wings wrapped around her. J'onn sat beside her to see fear in her eyes.

"Why not?"

"What if… what if it doesn't live?" Her hushed voice cracked and she wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively. "What if, even after being so careful, it won't survive?"

J'onn could feel the fear radiate off her mind and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, or at least tried to with her wings in the way.

"You have us, Shayera. It may seem like you want to be in action but you must think about the child. Why do you want to rejoin missions despite having a child? You obviously already know that risks."

"It's… I don't like people telling me what to do and how to deal with the situation. Batman means well but I know how this is going to go. I've seen him work where he believes he is doing the right thing but he's just going to keep me on tab and not even give me space. I know how he is but gods above I love him."

"So what will you do?"

"I… I don't know. When I thought about having a family… I honestly didn't think it would happen so soon. I… am not ready. I don't know what to do." Shayera shivered and tried to stop thinking about it. Unfortunately, the truth of situation is more glaring than she could handle.

"You have us. You have your family in Midway City. You have your bird friends even. You are not alone Shayera. You will not do this alone. Batman may seem like he may react over the top but I am sure that he respects your privacy and understands that you will be doing things your way as well."

Shayera thought about it. Bruce is incredibly protective over his friends and family. She was unfortunate in witnessing an argument between Dick and Bruce one time in the cave. Dick was furious over Bruce's involvement with a case Dick had taken upon himself to solve. He threw accusations at Bruce about being overbearing and untrusting towards his team and family. Later that night after Dick stormed off back to Bludhaven, Shayera witnessed Bruce sitting in his armchair by the fire, sullen and a bit depressed. His expression was one full of parental care. She knew that Dick was in the right of calling Bruce out on not giving him the chance to do things on his own but if he could've seen Bruce's face later that night: perhaps he might've apologized for the harsh language.

Shayera thought long and hard as she laid out her options. For one, she didn't want to give up her fight for justice. She didn't want to be a stay at home mother but there were higher risks that came with being a mother who fights crime. How does Kendra go about her day knowing that any day could be her last day. That she could potentially leave Junior without a mother? Shayera rubbed her tummy, a bit in shock still that there is life growing inside her. As Shayera pondered over her decisions, unbeknownst to her, she was beginning to lose herself.

J'onn couldn't have known, unable to read her mind, but he would later on berate himself for not reacting fast enough. The low inhuman growl is what tipped him off that something had gone wrong. Looking over at Shayera, he noticed her dilated eyes and and the snarl on her face. Quickly backing up, J'onn noticed her posture was more wild-like than ever. Her wings were spread out to make herself look big and menacing. Her talon-hand was poised and ready for attack while her other hand gripper her mace. J'onn slowly backed away with his hands raised to show he meant no threat. Recognizing her feral state, J'onn wondered what might have triggered it. From the reports of the others and from what he has seen himself, she only ever came into this state when angry or under extreme stress.

"Shayera, I mean you no harm." No answer from her as she menacingly walked towards him. J'onn didn't want to harm her, possibilities of harming the baby running through his head. He instead phased past the trees as he flew up and away from her, keeping an eye on her.

She quickly flew away from him, her speed catching J'onn by surprise. Flying to catch up with her, J'onn attempted to restrain her. He was promptly electrocuted when she blasted her mace to half power. Crying out in pain, J'onn fell from the sky. He was saved by the branches, clinging onto a large one as he tried to quickly recover. His skin was burning in pain, almost like an invisible fire was clinging to him. J'onn glanced up at the sky to see nothing. Shayera had promptly vanished.

 **A Week Later**

Bruce tiredly scanned the computer for reports about Shayera. Anything really would have sufficed. A rumor, a sighting, anything. When J'onn returned to the Watchtower to inform him about Shayera's ferality taking over, he could only assume it was her inner self protecting the child. Bruce had sent Barbara and Harper to scour the Midway National Park, forced to reveal about Shayera's pregnancy and about her feral side. While annoyed at how cold Bruce was when he explained to Shayera her condition and the plans were, Barbara worked extra hard when Harper needed to return to school during the day, often employing the help of Kara Kent to search for the missing Leaguer.

While they searched in the park, Bruce was able to cut the search for Shayera back a bit as he also searched for Luthor and his new friend, AMAZO. The deadly android is the last legacy of mad scientist Dr. Ivo, who died only two weeks ago. With AMAZO, Luthor was able to make off with several experimental medical equipments, no doubt still trying to cure his cancer.

"Any news yet?" asked Clark as he flew in behind Bruce.

"None." Whether it was about Luthor or Shayera, Clark didn't know and didn't want to ask Bruce to clarify. Shayera's disappearance has put all of them on edge, Flash and J'onn volunteering their services in Midway City to help cover for her shifts. As the League tried to help in their attempt to find Shayera, Clark is only happy to let Kara help Barbara comb through the park in search of Shayera. It really brought morale down to have her missing in the League.

"Diana and I have been searching through all areas surrounding Metropolis. There's a new breakthrough in the radiology labs that could help eliminate the prime cancer cell but it's still in its early phase." They hoped that Luthor would reveal himself soon after word got around.

"Where's Diana?"

"Still in Metropolis. She employed the help of Trevor and several of his men to guard the tech while she patrols around the city. It's only a matter of time until Luthor makes his move."

"Or the android makes the move for him."

"Speaking of which, any luck in figuring out how to disarm it?"

"No," said Bruce as he turned the computer off and rubbed his eyes to ease the burning. Clark felt a bit guilty for putting a lot of expectations on Bruce and said, "Here, I'll search for a bit too. Go rest, I actually got a call from Alfred asking to march you home or he'll make his way up here himself."

Bruce snorted in mirth, imagining his aging friend in a Javelin on his way to the tower. Getting up, Bruce made his way to the warp pad. As he teleported into the Batcave, he was met with a sleeping Tim, head resting over the computer keyboard. A blanket draped over his shoulders as his snores echoed in the cave. Had it been any other night, he would have allowed Tim to stay over the computer. Unfortunately he needed to call Barbara back so she could get her rest.

Shaking Tim, he backed up when the young hero snapped up and began to scramble to reorient himself. Quickly turning around to see who woke him up, Tim snapped to attention when he saw Bruce standing over him.

"Bruce! How's the search going?"

His silent glare answered his question and Tim awkwardly stepped off to the side in order to let him use the computer. Sitting down, Bruce typed in Barbara's line and waited for her to answer.

"Bruce? Bruce! Listen now is not a good time!"

"Barbara, what is wrong?"

"Kara and I were searching for Shayera when a flock of birds attacked us!"  
"Mark your location Barbara and grab hold of Kara."

Pulling up a map of the Midway National Park, he waited until a red beacon appeared near the coastal cliffs. Quickly inputting Barbara's signal, Bruce teleported them away from the birds. Barbara and Kara appeared on the warp pad, their hair disheveled and Barbara sporting a few cuts on her arms.

"Birds?" asked Tim, wondering just how Barbara and Kara were beaten by birds.

"Hey! They're endangered! You try to convince a bunch birds not to attack you! You try not to accidentally swap at them and get in trouble for killing one!" cried out Kara in anger.

"Chill!" Hands raised in surrender, Tim backed off. Barbara walked up to Bruce and pointed at the map.

"Kara and I found an abandoned mine near the cliffsides. It's a lead depository."

"A perfect hiding place from Superman and Supergirl."

"Exactly. I'll pull some connections from some librarian friends of mine at the Midway Public Library. They should have the old maps from the 1800s still tucked away."

"Barbara… thank you." Barbara smiled at the praise from Bruce when Kara immediately zoomed next to her and waited.

"Kara, thank you as well."

Kara smiled in glee, happy to get a compliment from one of the greatest heroes on Earth. Waving goodbye at Barbara and Tim, Kara flew home to Kansas in order to get more work done to help Barbara again. It's always fun being out and participating in missions with Barbara. Barbara bid Bruce and Tim goodnight as well as she made her way home, needing to keep appearances with her father.

"So Shayera's expecting?" asked Tim, wanting the silence to be filled. "I call honorary uncle to the kid."

"This is assuming that you can even care for a baby." said Bruce as he made his way upstairs to catch up on sleep as well.

"What? I'm a great caretaker! Just ask my teammates!"

"I'd rather have the knowledge of her pregnancy be kept a secret. How many people know?"

"Just us, the League, and Shayera's family in Midway. They're keeping tight-lipped about her disappearance, saying that she's currently offworld on mission."

"Good. You can return back to the Titans Tim, we have everything covered here."

"Unlikely," argued Tim, "I left Starfire in charge while I'm gone."

"I'm sure Dick will appreciate you halting his plans for date night tonight."

"He needs to get used to it, what with the life we lead."

"If you insist on staying, do you think you can take over the watch in the computers. Keep an eye out for anything involving Luthor or an android on the rampage. Keep an eye out for Metropolis news sites and Gotham as well in the event Luthor decides to target the the Wayne Medical Labs."

"Roger."

Bruce tiredly went up to his bed and tried to get some sleep. His stress levels were going to kill him if he didn't at least get an hour to sleep. It wouldn't be a restful night however. Images of a stillborn and Shayera dying in childbirth haunted him. He would wake up in a start, making Alfred jump back in surprise.

"Sir, Master Tim has discovered Luthor's location. He is holed up in the mansion that once belonged to Dr. Ivo. Miss Barbara has also acquired the maps of the abandoned mine. She has informed me to relay the message that she and Kara will go back to the mines and use the maps."

Alfred made to leave the room but noticed that Bruce had not even made a single move. Looking at his ward's face, Alfred saw the worry and frustration in his face.  
"Master Bruce?"

"Alfred? I… I want to know how my father was when my mother was pregnant with me."

"Oh Master Bruce," sighed Alfred wistfully, looking back at fond memories, "Your father nearly drove your mother up the wall with all his preparation. Did you know he had ordered a large amount of padding in order to cover the mansion with it so you wouldn't harm yourself?"

"Did he?"

"Your father was a very cautious man Master Bruce. He took whatever precaution was necessary and compromised with your mother after almost sanding down every corner in this home."

"Will Shayera listen to me if she understood how much risks there are when giving birth to human babies?"

"I'm sure Miss Shayera already knows that dangers Master Bruce, I find that she relies much on the child's half Thanagarian genes to help battle any form of harm."  
"She needs to stop being stubborn and listen."  
"She has listened Master Bruce, I no doubt believe that she is taking this time to think through her options. This isn't her world after all and she is going about this as the only one of her species on this planet."

"I have to find her and talk about this. She can't be doing things on her own just because she believes that as the only Thanagarian on this planet that she knows what to do. There's too much at risk."

"I agree sir, but allow her this time to think things through. This 'feral' nature of hers is probably a defense mechanism that is trying to protect her."

Bruce only grunted and got up. This is another issue he needed to discuss with her. Her feral personality often pops up unexpected and Shayera has confided in them that she cannot remember her actions most of the time. While it has helped in many battles, this time it's gone too far. He needed to find out what this feral personality is and help her control it.

Suiting up, he went quickly down to the Batcave to see Tim hacking into several satellites and keeping the Metropolis News Report open. Glancing at the television, Snapper Carr was reporting a live coverage of the Android's fight against the League. J'onn wasn't involved in the fight after the League had figured out that the Android was able to copy their abilities and powers. Giving the Android access to J'onn will only cause more problems. Bruce can only be glad that Shayera is gone, otherwise access to Nth Metal and her abilities would have been tedious.

"Warp me to the fight, Tim."

"Right."

As he was warped from the Batcave to the fight, he immediately stopped himself from jumping into battle as he heard the Android cry out, "All of you. Villains! Stopping an innocent man from seeking treatment to his disease. All of you would dare hide behind your facade as heroes."

He thought them as villains and Luthor a hero? He noticed Diana telling the Android the truth but it seemed the Android is very set on his view of what was true or lie. On the corner of his eye, he noticed Luthor in his mecha-suit as he carefully moved a machine out onto the Metropolis Medical Lab roof. It seems that the Android is very set on his loyalty but if he were to know the truth? Would he still want to protect Luthor?

Pressing on his comm-link, he called J'onn to the battlefield in order to pull a massive gamble.

Superman kept the Android down, trading blows as he attempted to take its attention while the others stopped Luthor but the Android was proving to be too much. It was the sudden appearance of J'onn behind the Android that made Superman balk in flight. The Android turned quickly to assess its new opponent. Its eyes glowing orange in order to scan the Martian, the ability to read all minds came to him. So many thoughts of death, lust, crime… these humans were disgusting but there were a few. The ones he was fighting… their thoughts were full of justice, protection, and compassion.

Luthor…. His thoughts…. HE LIED!

Turning his attention to the human he once thought was good, he flew towards him and stood in front of him, blocking his escape.

"What are you doing?" demanded Luthor, "Get back and fight them!"

"You lied!" Amazo walked towards Luthor menacingly, the League behind him at a distance. Bruce watched as Luthor froze in shock at being called out but quickly regained his composure and tried to lie again.

"They're tricking you!"

"I can read your mind."

"..."

Amazo and Luthor had a stare down and it was almost shocking to see Luthor attempt to blast it with his blaster. Amazo merely absorbed the power, before reaching out at Luthor. The League watched in shock as it dismantled Luthor's armor and stepped away from him. Facing the League, Amazo apologized.

"I was in the wrong. I'll be taking my leave, learning. Do not attempt to stop me."

Bruce's eyes widened at seeing wings sprout from Amazo's back and stopped him.

"Wait! Who did you meet with wings like the ones you have?"

Reading the human's mind, Amazo could see the connection the human has with the winged human he met in the forest.

"She is residing in a mine close to Midway, she seemed a bit… preoccupied. She was carrying large equipments of technology."

"What is she doing?"

"She seemed to be growing in the abdomen, a sign of a growing child."

"Already?" asked Flash, "Shouldn't she be showing like after three months?"

"It's a hybrid child, it might be developing at a quicker rate and with her ferality personality in control she could be creating a nest of sorts." said J'onn. No sooner had he said it, Bruce got a call from Barbara.

"Batman! We found her and… well she's fine, Kara has her pinned but could you maybe get here quick? This is something that you have to see to believe."

"We're on our way."

The League left Luthor to the authorities after Amazo had flown away. They each flew or ran to Midway National Forest, Bruce hitching a ride with Diana as they made their way to Midway. The night sky was cloudy, no light aiding them but Superman led the way, his vision allowing him to spot Batgirl outside a cave. Leading them down, Superman greeted Batgirl with a smile, one which she returned.

"Where is she?" asked Bruce, worried.

"Follow me." Batgirl lead them into the mines, a map on hand so they wouldn't get lost. Bruce held up a glow stick in order to help light the mines as they got deeper and deeper into the mines. As they neared their location, they heard a grunt and a voice say, "Please stop. You're going to hurt yourself."

They entered a large space, lit up by several firepits. As they looked around they noticed a large incubator in the middle of the space. Inside the incubator was the largest egg they had ever seen resting comfortably in the middle surrounded by blankets. Off to the side, Kara had Shayera pinned down in a bear hug. She snarled at the invaders, attempting to break free from the Kryptonian's grasp.

"Shay... you laid an egg?" asked Flash weakly, amused and shock at the sight.

"Everybody out of the cave, now." commanded Bruce. Flash looked ready to argue but Batgirl quickly signaled him to remain quiet. Kara released Shayera who immediately flew in front of her incubator, talons out and mace ready. Everybody left the cave until it was only Bruce and Shayera left in the cave. She stood guard in front of their egg, not recognizing Bruce.

"You know who I am," said Bruce, removing his cowl and his belt. Shayera's eyes remained primal but her stance softened a bit at seeing him unarmed.

"You know that this is our child, you need to remember." pushed Bruce. Shayera's nose flared, taking in his scent until she relaxed fully: recognizing her mate.

"Shayera, talk to me." Bruce walked up to her, taking her hands into his. Her eyes slowly returned back to normal, taking in his scent and soothing presence. Burying her face into his chest, Shayera only hugged him and remained silent. Bruce rubbed her back, waiting until she was ready to talk. He glanced over at the incubator, their child being made inside an egg. How… interesting.

"Bruce… I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It made sense that your feral side would get to work right away. I didn't know your people gave birth to eggs."

"We… don't." whispered Shayera. Surprised, Bruce stepped back away from her to see her eyes. She looked anxious and worried as she wrung her hands.

"We give live births like humans… nothing about this makes sense. I wish I could ask my mother, she studied ancient civilizations and society back in my homeworld but… I don't know what to think about this."

"We'll figure it out. First we need to move the incubator somewhere safe."

"Could we place it in the cave? I can't rely on Mavis or David to look after it since they're constantly abroad for their jobs and Kendra and her family have Junior to look after."

"I'm sure Alfred will be thrilled to have another Wayne baby on the way."

Smiling softly, Shayera hugged Bruce. Her fears about what giving birth to an egg could mean for them. This is the first time she's ever heard of a live egg birth. She wished she had her mother but for now, she's happy that Bruce is with her. They seem to be over their initial problem of crime fighting, so for now things seemed to be good.

Bruce was thinking about this entire problem. If Shayera is right, then this child is a born anomaly. He needed to run tests and Shayera's desire to have their child moved to the cave will make things easier. He didn't like to think about their child having possible difficulties the day it comes to hatch. Looking at Shayera, he thought about the cameras and security he set up in her museum apartment and the tracking nanochip he place on the back of her armor when he hugged her. His father took every precaution necessary to protect his mother when she was pregnant. He'll be the same way. He'll ensure that no child of his will be left parentless, even if he has to make sure Shayera never again disappeared the way she did.

 **Hey readers, sorry for the long hiatus. I was in a very terrible spot in my life. I couldn't even leave my own room without being anxious and afraid. I'm doing a lot better now though, after I worked my way to get past it. Hopefully you guys liked the new chapter. I tried to take in all the recommendations you guys sent in making the story better, I'll be introducing more stuff later in the next chapters. Hopefully you guys liked it and can't wait to hear from you :) have a good night :)**


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